High School Fleet: Friends From Afar
by SirStonewall
Summary: Following the quelling of the RATt outbreak, Japan needs raw materials and instructor ships to replace those damaged. The U.S. government proudly takes up the call to arms, and convoys are dispatched! Alongside them the Canadian Navy sends submarines to train, but in the vast ocean, were all the infectious animals truly culled?
1. Chapter 1

**[A/N]: Howdy Y'all! Before we get to reading the main story body, I've got a couple things to say.**

 **First off, I do not own Haifuri. At all.**

 **This story takes place a few months after the Musashi incident, shortly after OVA 2.**

 **This is a cooperative project with Goodalwayswins98. The guy's a great writer, and I highly recommend checking him out!** **I write the sections following the Americans, and he writes the sections following the Canadians.**

 **Last but most definitely not least, if you want more chapters, you can put this story higher up on my writing priorities by simply leaving a review!**

 **Having gotten through all of that, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Seattle Naval Academy**

 **September 5th, 20XX**

 **0647 hours,**

"Hey Danielle! Get your ass outta bed or you're gonna be late!"

"Mmmnnn… Five more minutes…" I grumble, rolling over and pulling my pillow over my head.

"If you wait five more minutes you'll be late to the ceremony and someone else will get the ship! Now move it!"

It finally occurs to me what my brother is saying, and I bolt out of bed, shoving him out of the door before slamming it and grabbing my new school uniform.

"Get my breakfast ready!" I yell through the door, pulling up the white dress pants and threading the belt through the loops.

"It's been ready! I can drive you to the gate, but that's as far as I go!"

I throw on my undershirt, button it, and grab my jacket off the nearby chair before grabbing the naval ensigns cap off my desk.

"Two minutes before I leave!" My brother calls from down the hall. I fling open the door and throw my jacket on as I run down the hall. I round the corner to find my brother dressed up in a pilot's uniform, his ginger hair sticking out from under a tan baseball cap.

"You took your damn time. Get your breakfast and let's get moving. Your bag is in the car."

"Geez, I'm going as fast as I can! Don't be such an ass!" I yell at him, running into the kitchen to grab breakfast, which consists of a sole cinnamon roll.

I finish putting my jacket on before I grab my breakfast with a couple fingers, being especially careful not to get any on my uniform while I simultaneously slip on my shoes.

"Hurry up! I've got two hour before I've got to report to the Monterey!" My brother calls again, opening the door.

"I'm comin', shut up!" I yell back before taking another bite out of the cinnamon roll and straightening up. I walk semi-groggily down the stairs and out the door, making sure to lock the door behind me.

"Come on! Could you move any slower?!"

My brother leans out the window of his Chevrolet S10 pickup and stares impatiently back at me.

"Jesus, you got a hot date or something? I'm moving as fast as I can!" I snap back, climbing into the passenger side and closing the door.

"I would really like to get to the Monterey early so I can get into a flight that is higher up on the launch priority." He explains, shifting into first and rolling us out of the driveway.

"Whatever, just get me to the damn ceremony in time."

* * *

 **CFB Esquimalt**

 **0800**

As the ceremony in the American base took place, their northern counterparts were preparing their new school year. A tall Vietnamese boy with glasses and large front teeth was making his way down a city amongst throngs of students and parents. Dressed in an immaculate black naval dress uniform with a cap, Huynh Kinh-Luyên enjoyed the fresh smell of the sea. There was not a single cloud in the skies while the warm sunlight of early September bathed the docks of CFB Esquimalt.

'Thank god that's over ostie!' he mused. The past few days had been busy preparing himself for this big day. Between getting his dress uniform properly done and traveling from Quebec to Vancouver city with the rest of his class, it had been rather stressful. More or less because of his mother henpecking him to get everything done right.

Things were looking good for him. He was taking command, under the watchful eye of a RCN sub instructor, of a Tench-class submarine. The sound of running footsteps alerted him to someone getting close to him.

"Hey man!" yelled a familiar voice in French that was barely out of breath. "Wait for me christ!"

Turning his head, the Vietnamese saw his old friend, a tall blonde boy with green eyes dressed similarly though his uniform had markings for a different type of officer.

"'Mornin' bro," he greeted, "How are you doing Al?"

"Yeah man!" answered his friend as they high-fived each other, "We're going to fucking Japan! There's gonna fucking cute Japanese girls and I'll get some sweet anime merch."

Al looked into the horizon with a smile and 'life is good' written in his eyes.

"Yup yup!" enthusiastically replied Kinh, "Where are you parents man? My mom's here with her boyfriend, Cang and my little brother. They went out for breakfast and they'll meet us up at the start of year ceremony."

"They're waiting for my dumbass brothers to wake up before going for some breakfast."

"Aight"

The pair continued walking towards a staple of Canadian culture: Tim Hortons'. There was a small lineup of students and adults waiting for their food while employees bustled behind the counter. The strong aroma of industrial coffee mixed with the sweet scent of various pastries mingled in the restaurant. Kinh had pulled out his cellphone while he and Alf were waiting on their food.

"I'm gonna check if Remi's awake." he said as he dialed a phone number and waited for the line to be picked up. After a few moments, the familiar recording message sounded.

"The current user your are trying to reach is unavaila-"

He hanged up. 'Obviously'

"Still not awake?" asked Al.

"Yup though honestly, he's the last man in the world that should get a cellphone", groaned Kinh, "He only picks it up once a month if we're lucky."

"Lol 'stie," Al rolled his eyes at this. Before he could say anything else, a rather guttural voice interrupted him while Kinh felt a tap on his shoulder. Both boys turned around and saw a rather irritated face.

"Good morning."

"Yo Remi! How are you doing?" cheerfully asked Kinh.

"Yeah yeah," grumbled the boy named Remi. He stood as tall as Al but had dark, wavy brown hair that had just cut. His blue-green eyes were barely opened.

"For a watch officer, you really need to pay attention to your surroundings man," grunted Remi. "I snuck up on you while this fucker was goofing on his cellphone."

"Fuck you man," replied Al a smile, "Thought we were bros'. Then again… how does a fucking caveman like you pass torpedo officer class."

"We both got top marks in our classes dude unlike Kinh here so ta yeule motherfucker."

"I was trying to call you and see if you were awake," nervously said Kinh, "Besides fuck you, my grades are good enough for me to take command of a sub.." His friend merely grunted in annoyance with a hint of a smile.

"I'm fucking awake now, just need some coffee."

Luckily for them, it was their turn to order. As they finished up ordering, Al decided to have some fun.

"So Kinh, you paying for us right?" he said with a sly smile. Behind him, Remi nodded in agreement.

"Wha.. no fucking way," he answered with a hint of panic in his voice as the cashier looked at him, "I don't have that kind of money."

"Calme toé man, I'm messing with you." answered Al as he pulled out his wallet with Remi having already a 10$ bill in his right hand. The cashier handed them their respective orders before the trio headed to an empty table.

"Soo any idea what's our boat?" asked Kinh with a mouthful of hash brown and a breakfast egg sandwich with bacon and cheddar on an English Muffin in his left hand. An Ice Cappucino was slowly melting in front of him.

Al looked at him in annoyance as he spread cheese on a bagel.

"First off, chew your food then talk. It's fucking disgusting. As for the boat, it's a Tench class I think. Fairly decent American sub-."

The sound of a sip followed by a grunt of happiness interrupted them.

"Coffee's good man?" asked Al with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmmph yeah" answered Remi.

"Black like your soul?"

Another grunt of approval came from the taciturn boy though it seemed to have some more enthusiasm and happiness in it.

"Back to what we were saying." said Kinh without a bite of food in his mouth, "Do we any idea what the name is?"

"We'll only know at the ceremony." answered Al, "We'll be part of a four boat flotilla being sent to Japan for exercises."

"Think it's safe after that Totalitarian Virus/Rat thing of theirs?" asked Kinh with a hint of concern, "I don't want to deal with that kind of fucked shit."

"Why wouldn't it be safe for us?" scoffed Remi, "We're gonna be in a sub and we won't be picking up random shit. If we find those goddamn rats, we'll throw'em off."

"True that" replied Al.

The boys finished off their meals before heading out. Things were looking good for them as adventure awaited them.

* * *

 **Seattle Naval Academy,**

 **0800, September 5th.**

 **Post-Ceremony.**

"Meredith?! I was hoping for something cool! Not a friggin' destroyer!" I groan, clutching my assignment orders in one hand while carrying my sea bag on my opposite shoulder. "I guess it was too much to hope for a cruiser or a carrier assignment."

"Hey! Are you the captain of the Meredith?" A brunette girl yells down the dock at me as I walk down towards her.

"Yep! That's me!" I yell back.

She waits for me to get a little closer and snaps to attention. "Allison Meyers, your first mate."

I return the salute lazily. "Danielle Schumer. Pleasure to meet you."

"This way Captain, I'll show you around, and you can ditch your bag in your room." Allison waves me along, walking towards the gangplank leading up to the deck of the destroyer.

"R-right."

The first thing I notice is the MS12 Modified paint scheme on the destroyer. While it's a rather functional camouflage pattern, it has debatable functionality in the Pacific.

"Some of the Oerlikon twenty-millimeters have yet to be mounted, but we're working on it." Allison points towards a few empty Pintle mounts as we walk past. I hum to show I heard, and we continue to an open bulkhead, descending into the ship.

The narrow corridors are clean, but dark, and the low ceiling means I have to take my sea bag off my shoulder and carry it in front of me.

Finally, as she points out various stations I hear the words I'd been waiting for.

"Here's your quarters."

I politely scoot past her and shove the door open, dropping the heavy bag on the bed with a huff of relief.

"Next stop is the Mess. Everyone should be gathered there, and if I recall, there should be a special embarkation breakfast."

At the mention of an actual breakfast my stomach practically gets on its haunches and begs. I notice the captain's hat on the desk, and replace my ensign's cap with it.

"Alrighty then, to the Mess we go."

Allison nods, motioning for me to follow her as she starts down the hallway, ducking through a bulkhead before immediately turning and walking down a stairwell I didn't see.

"So what's our total class size?" I ask, descending the stairs behind her.

"Counting you and I? Forty seven."

"Are we running a skeleton crew or something? That doesn't seem like very many." I inquire after we reach a closed bulkhead. Allison grabs the hatch and gives it a twist, unlocking the bulkhead before she swings it open. "Nope. Most of the stuff on here is automated. The only things that aren't automated is stuff like guns, engines, and damage control. Hell, the hedgehog mortars can be fired from the bridge."

"Hedgehogs? Why would we have those?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I heard something about the Canucks doing a training exercise with us."

I hum an acknowledgement and straighten my cap as we walk down yet another corridor to yet another closed bulkhead.

"Here's the main Mess Deck." Allison grunts with effort as she unlocks the bulkhead and shoves it open to the sound of talking and laughing.

I'm hardly through the bulkhead before someone inside calls out my presence. "Captain on deck!"

The talking stops altogether, and everyone stands up, snapping to attention in typical militaristic fashion.

"At ease everyone. Get yourselves situated so we can do introductions and brief on what we'll be doing in the next month or two."

Everyone shifts around so they can look at the podium in the corner, and I move to stand behind said podium, laying the envelope containing the ship's orders on the stained oak.

"My name is Danielle Schumer, I'm your captain. If anyone has any problems with hazing, bullying, or harassment I ask that you bring such troubles directly to either myself or my first mate."

"Which brings me into the picture. I am Allison Meyers, the first mate. Now without further delay, let's hear the orders!"

I grab the envelope and tear one end open, pulling out several sheets of paper. I scrutinize each one before reading the orders aloud. "The destroyers Meredith, Laffy, Johnston, and Basilone are to escort convoy OYSK067 to Yokosuka, Japan. Upon concluding escort duties the escorting vessels are allowed one week shore leave in Japan before they are to set sail for the Solomon Islands for joint training with Royal Canadian Navy cadets. Convoy OYSK067 will additionally be escorted by the cruiser Brooklyn, the instructor ship Independence, and the escort carrier Monterey. The convoy will be gathering in the Juan De Fuca straight at 1200 hours on September fifth." I place the orders on the podium. "That's today in four hours people. Finish your breakfast, and let's get this beautiful ship on the move!"

There's a cheer in agreement before everyone starts talking again. I grab the orders and stuff them back into the envelope before walking over to the serving counter.

"Hello Captain! How can I help you?" A short-haired blonde girl behind the counter chirps, giving me an innocent smile.

"Food please, and coffee if you have any."

She grabs one of the metal trays and slaps a small pile of a mixture of eggs, bacon, sausage, and diced potatoes on it. "No coffee today sadly, but we'll have a pot brewed for you and the bridge crew bright and early tomorrow morning."

"It would be appreciated, thank you." I smile and take the tray, grabbing a fork before sitting down at the nearest table.

"'Scuse me Cap'n. The bridge crew's table is over there. This is Engineering's table." A black-haired beefcake of a guy politely gains my attention before pointing over to the opposite side of the galley.

"I thank you for the heads-up, but I'm eating right here, and I don't think I caught your name."

"Name's James, chief engineer for engine room one."

"Well it's nice to meet you James. I'll try not to run you guys too hard."

"Thank yeh ma'am. It'd be appreciated." James replies before he shovels one last spoonful into his mouth and stands up. "Well, I guess we'll go get the boilers warmed up. See you 'round Cap'."

"Take care of yourselves." I call back as James and six others walk away.

 _'Learning the crew already, go me!'_

"So Cap', what's in the convoy that is so important? I mean, normally a couple destroyers is all they send." Allison asks as she sits down beside me with a tray of her own.

"Beats me, the orders don't say. We'll probably find out when we meet up with them."

I continue to shovel food in my mouth as more and more of my classmates finish eating and leave. Some throw friendly smiles and salutes my way before they hurry out the bulkheads at either end of the room. Being how the ship is co-ed, I can't help but wonder how many of the smiles are genuine, though most if not all of my classmates move with such purpose that I can't doubt their devotion to their assignment.

Immediately after I finish my food Allison is on her feet. "If you'd follow me Captain, I'll show the way to the bridge and give you a readout on what we have at our disposal."

"Right then, lead on."

* * *

 **CFB Esquimalt**

 **0930**

After a brief speech from Admiral Harold, the greying, brown eyed commander of the Royal Canadian Navy Cadet Academy, the various students were being handed their respective papers. Kinh could see the familiar names of Remi Chagnon and Albert Gendreau on his friends' enveloppes. The cadets opened their envelopes and began reading its contents. Kinh was the first to react...

"CALISSE DE TABARNAK!" he yelled, "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME OSTIE! GAY!"

Both of his friends looked like they were on the verge of laughing. Al began to wrap his arm behind Remi.

"Hey uh, bro did I ever tell you how I like how your eyes shine in the sunlight?" he asked in a fake falsetto voice.

Remi had placed his right hand in front of his mouth and blinked his eyes, pretending to be shy.

"Ohohohohoho, stop it you're embarrassing me," he replied with a massive grin while Al pulled his arm off.

Kinh had rolled his eyes but still had a smile at his friends' antics. Some of their schoolmates that had seen the whole scene were laughing.

"Seriously, this is fucking lame though… I mean HMCS Rainbow?" he said with clear irritation, "We're going to be the fucking laughing stock of the exercise. What is this? Fucking Village People!?"

He immediately regretted saying that as his friends began humming "In the Navy" as they set off. They had a bit of time before they had to man their boat which they wanted to use to meet up with their families before leaving.

"I'm gonna see my mom before I go so catch you later on the sub dudes." said Kinh as he broke off while his friends headed off their own way. Pulling out his cellphone, he texted her. After a few moments, her answer came and he began walking to meet his relatives. He made his way to one of the hangars. Many other students were with their parents as well and enjoying their last moments together before heading out. The young man was looking around for his mother and her boyfriend. A familiar voice shouting was heard.

"Kinh! Over Here!"

He turned his head and saw his mom along with a man and a shorter boy next to her. The black haired woman looked at him with tears in her eyes yet pride radiated from her being.

"Hey mom! I'm assigned as captain of the HMCS Rainbow!"

He refrained from complaining about his sub's name.

"I'm proud of you son and I think that your father is too… wherever he is." she said tearfully, "Just be careful out there."

"Thanks and don't worry mom," replied Kinh, "I'll be careful."

He did his best to hide his annoyance at his mom's protectiveness. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked into the eyes of Cang. The old man had long greying hair and glasses while the smell of tobacco radiated off of him.

"Boy, go out there and show'em how it's down!" he exclaimed.

"Thanks Cang! Don't worry, I'll do my best!" replied Kinh proudly. His mother nudged a smaller boy who looked like a younger version of Kinh though he didn't seem to express much emotion and had a scar on his forehead.

"Say goodbye to your older brother now," she gently ordered.

"'Bye" he said tersely.

"See you little brother." answered the older sibling with as much enthusiasm. He then turned back to his mother and stepfather to continue with some small chat.

* * *

 **1000**

 **CFB Esquimalt**

 **HMCS Rainbow's dock**

30 students stood at attention as a chestnut haired, middle-aged officer was standing on a podium before them. Dressed in an immaculate uniform, Captain-Instructor Robert Olson addressed his students while Kinh stood next to him.

"Good day to all of you cadets of the HMCS Rainbow class!" he said, "I welcome you to your new boat and the start of a new term. I look forward to teaching each and everyone of you on how to operate a submarine. We shall face multiple challenges but I am confident that we shall overcome them together. Captain Huynh, You may now address your crew."

Kinh took the instructor's place at the podium and began his meticulously prepared speech.

"Thank you sir!" he said, "I look forward to taking command of this boat with you as my crew. It is an honour and a pleasure for me to be your captain and I believe we will have an excellent working relationship during the upcoming term."

He paused for a moment before continuing. Various levels of enthusiasm could be seen on their faces.

"Furthermore, I see that each and everyone of you has great potential so I look forward to working with you all." he declared, "With your skill and this excellent submarine, we can look forward to proving ourselves worthy sailors in the upcoming exercises of this term. Without further ado, let us board HMCS Rainbow and sail the waves of the Pacific Ocean!"

The crew soon began boarding the submarine with Kinh being the last man on board, following Captain Olson.

As he climbed down from the conning tower ladder, the freshly minted captain quickly noticed how surprisingly roomy it was. He was looking around the crew compartment, surveying everything carefully.

"Impressive eh?"

Olson was grinning while Kinh was rather surprised at this.

"Sir? How did you-"

"When you've trained as many cadets as I did, you know how they think."

There was a smirk on the instructor's face.

"The Americans made this excellent boat in the 1940's after their experiences with the earlier Gato's," explained Olson, "This is why unlike the German U-Boats, we have creature comforts like air conditioning and desalination units before the modernisation into a class ship. Not to mention that it's a lot roomier than their boats too."

"Explains a lot of things." replied Kinh, "Though what did you think of my speech sir?"

"To be honest, it was a bit long," said Olson politely, "You don't need to wind up long speeches. This isn't a movie son. Also, cut it out with the sir ok? It's Bob or Olson. I don't like formalities, make things too long. See what I mean?"

"Uh yeah Bob," answered Kinh awkwardly, "I see what you mean there." The sound of a throat being cleared was heard.

"I would like to introduce myself. I am Cadet Oliver Archer and I will be this boat's First Mate." said the cadet. Kinh noticed the rather formal tone and looked at him. Oliver stood straighter than a door edge and was about his height. His face was marked by a very serious expression while his grey eyes had a sharp spark of intelligence. His red hair was impeccably arranged and there was not a single crease on his uniform.

"Pleased to meet you M. Archer." politely replied Kinh. "I look forward to working with you."

"The pleasure is mutual M. Huynh."

The captain raised an eyebrow.

"How old are you Oliver?" he asked.

"16 sir."

"Allrighty, just call me Kinh. You're as old as I am so skimp back on the formalities ok?."

Olson looked at the scene in amusement. Some things never seemed to change despite the years.

"I suggest that you two get out of those dress uniforms and get into something more comfortable for the exercices like I asked in your welcoming letter. It's going to be a long trip after all." proposed Olson, "Tell the rest of the crew to do the same as well."

"Aye Olson, I'll get the message to everyone else then. Oliver can-"

"Excuse me sir," interrupted the First Mate, "But how am I supposed to impose my authority on the crew if I dress sloppily."

Olson's voice took a more serious tone.

"Son, if you're using your rank to keep your crew inline, you shouldn't be holding that rank."

Oliver looked like he had swallowed a lemon.

"But sir!?"

"Either Bob or Olson'll do. Now go get yourself into something comfortable son. I believe that your belongings should be at your designated bunk."

The boy scampered off into the depths of the Rainbow to get a change of clothes.

"As for you Kinh," said Olson, "I suggest you go get acquainted with the rest of your crew and make sure the final preparations are done."

"Right Olson!"

* * *

 **1013 hours,**

 **Aboard DD-726 USS Meredith.**

 **Status: moored, preparing for voyage**

"Is everything set for us to leave?" I ask, watching several of my classmates stand patiently on the bow by the mooring line.

"We're just getting permission from the Coasties. I don't know why, but they want a cutter to accompany us out to the rendezvous."

"And so until then we get to sit around with our thumbs up our asses?" I sigh, looking around the harbor for the Cutter, which is nowhere to be seen.

"Exactly."

"Lovely… well this'll give me time to see if I can get a few names down. First Mate is Allison." I receive a nod in return and celebrate internally. "Helmsman is… Samuel?"

"Aye ma'am." The toned, yet scrawny blonde confirms my inquiry.

"Technical officer is Savannah."

"Yes Cap'n." The unnatural redhead gives me a nod along with her response.

"Navigation is… Emily?"

"That's me." The short brunette confirms from near the radar repeater, a pencil tucked behind her ear.

"Hey what'dya know, I got 'em all right!" I cheer, a smile growing on my face.

"You missed Gunnery and the Torpedo Officer." Allison corrects me, pointing over towards two empty stations.

"Damn, I suppose I did. Justin and uhhh… Serena was it?"

"That's correct. They should be amidships getting the last of the Oerlikons mounted."

"Awesome." I walk over to the ship's telephone and press the button for the radio room before lifting the phone out of the cradle and holding it to my ear. A few seconds later a guy's voice reports through the earpiece. {Radio here, send traffic.}

"Radio, get me an update on when the Coast Guard is gonna get here."

{Aye Captain, one moment.}

I lean against the wall, tapping my foot impatiently until the radio operator reports back.

{Captain, the Coast Guard says it'll be another two hours before they can get to us, there's been an emergency with a trawler.}

"Thank you, bridge out."

I hang up the phone and walk back to the front windows, clenching my fists in frustration while I try to make a decision. Eventually I give up on waiting.

"Fuck that. Throw the moorings, raise the anchor."

"Aye Captain. I take it we're not waiting for the coast guard?" Allison asks with a smirk.

"Hell no, I'm not playing catch-up with the damn convoy." I grumble as she crosses the wheelhouse to the intercom phone.

"Throw all mooring lines. Raise the anchor. Prepare for embarkation."

The people idly standing up on the bow all spring into action, undoing the mooring lines and throwing them to the pier before a person walks up by the anchor chain as it begins to reel in. She holds up a red flag for a minute or so before switching arms to hold up a green flag.

"Anchor's off the bottom Captain." Allison reports, looking through the window beside mine.

"So I see. Helmsman, ahead slow. Get us a course for the rendezvous point."

"Aye. Ahead slow, awaiting course from navigation." Samuel reports, moving the E.O.T to the designated position. The bell sounds several seconds later when the engine rooms respond. Nothing seems to happen at first, but after a few seconds we start to accelerate, knifing through the green-tinted water.

The red light above the ship's phone starts to blink, and I cross the wheelhouse in three strides before grabbing it. "Bridge here."

{Radio here. The harbormaster is asking that we stop our vessel and wait for the Coast Guard.}

"Tell him that class starts at noon, and we will not under any circumstances be late for our first day."

{Aye Captain. Radio out.}

I hang up the phone with a smile on my face, knowing I essentially just told the harbormaster to stuff his request 'where the sun don't shine'.

"I'll bet the harbormaster is probably livid right about now." Allison giggles, looking out towards a building on the end of a pier.

"Oh definitely. Helmsman, ahead full."

"Ahead full, aye." Samuel echoes, once again moving the E.O.T, and getting a reply within seconds.

The starboard side bulkhead is pulled open, and Justin -the Gunnery Officer- peeks his head in.

"Hey Captain, take a look to our port side, towards our stern. I think you inspired the others."

I move to the rear of the wheelhouse and look out one of the windows to find the three other destroyers following us, keeping perfect formation.

"Well, I'm glad they didn't choose to just sit around."

"In other news, all of the Oerlikon's are mounted and ready for use." Justin states as he enters the wheelhouse, holding the door open for the Torpedo Officer before closing it behind her.

"Both torpedo launchers are confirmed fully functional, and the depth charge throwers are ready for use."

"Let's hope we won't have to use them any time soon." I mutter, knowing that our voyage to Japan is supposed to be without incident unless some lawless people get ballsy.

"Helmsman, course correction, bearing two-seven-five." Emily advises, looking at a chart.

"Two-seven-five, aye." Samuel echoes, turning the wheel while watching the compass.

"Helmsman, you may maneuver as necessary. First Mate, you have operations. If I am needed you may find me in my quarters getting unpacked."

* * *

 **1100**

 **HMCS Rainbow**

 **CFB Esquimalt**

Under the bright sun of September, four Canadian submarines had set sail from their docks. As they exited the base, people on the shore were waving them off while their captains stood on the conning tower and waved back.

Aboard the HMCS Rainbow, Kinh, Al and two other cadets stood watch. Someone was singing a familiar tune. By now, they were halfway out of the Juan de Fuca Detroit and were passing massive numbers of ships of various types ranging from destroyers to carriers as well as cargo ships and instructor ships. They were heading to an anchoring point just off of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The submarines were ordered to take up positions south.

"In the Navy, you can sail the seven-"

"Really man?" asked sarcastically Kinh, "Of all the fucking songs..."

He heard a short laugh from Al. By now, everyone had gotten into their working uniforms. Light blue buttoned up shirts and black combat pants. Nametapes and insignias designating their roles and ranks adorned their uniforms. Each one of them was also wearing baseball caps with their boat's designation, name and silhouette.

"Oh come on, he's got the right idea about this," defended the watch officer, "What's your name guys? I like you already"

The singer in question was a short, mousey haired boy with a round face. He had a playful expression on his face and was wearing a light blue naval uniform.

"Frank Stanford at your service sir!" he answered, "Pleased to meet you in person."

The other sailor introduced himself as well. He was a tall, dark skinned boy with shaved hair.

"I'm Chris T. Carpenter Jr. Just call me Junior."

Kinh and Al introduced themselves quickly to their new crewmates. A conversation soon followed.

"So what do you guys think of this trip to Japan?" asked Frank while he kept watch.

"A two month long trip with a stop in Hawaii is pretty fun if you ask me," said Kinh with happiness in his voice, "Good weather and warm seas is always good in my opinion. I also heard that the Japanese crews are pretty damn good so it'll be good training."

The familiar of seagulls filled their ears as their boat sailed on the blue waves.

"I heard that their surface ships aren't co-ed," mentioned Junior while looking through his binoculars. "I can't wait to hit land there though… lots of sweet anime loot just waiting for this pirate."

"Yeah, girls only on the surface ships while the guys are submariners like us," added in Frank, "It's fucking weird."

"So you mean if we get aboard one of their surface ships," realised Al with a grin, "It'll be full of cute girls that never had boyfriends? Hell yeah, it'll be fucking awesome!"

"Al… knowing our dumb luck," remarked dryly Kinh, "They'll either be all lesbians or super-bitchy."

'Or a mix of both urgh.'

"Man can dream no? But Junior?"

"Yo that's me."

"What do you watch man?" asked Al with enthusiasm. Kinh could only look in amusement while Frank rolled his eyes and muttered something about "fucking weebs".

"There's the classics like Naruto and Yu-Gi-Oh but some of the new stuff like Sword Art Online are pretty good…"

* * *

 **Aboard USS Meredith,**

 **1130 hours,**

 **Status: Anchored at 48.5198, -124.5132**

"Hmmm… I'll put this… there." I mumble to myself before placing a picture frame in a special clamp on the wall intended solely for such purpose. "And then… this can-"

{Captain report to the bridge. Captain please report to the bridge.} The intercom on the wall chirps to life briefly before going silent again. I place the second picture on the bed prior to walking over to the intercom. "I'm on the way."

I grab my hat off the desk and swing the door open, striding out and letting the door slam shut behind me. I jog the shortest and simplest route to the bridge, up to the deck and then up the ladder to enter through the starboard side bulkhead.

"You called?" I ask, collecting my long hair so it's all down my back.

"Yes ma'am. We're at the rendezvous. Right on schedule, half an hour before we set sail."

"Excellent. How many other ships are he- holy shit!" I gawk out the window, looking out over the two fore gun turrets at the assortment of cargo ships, Liberty ships, and warships assembled.

"Last count that the lookout made was seventy-two vessels counting us. Most are cargo ships, but there are some warships that I had to look up. My guess is that the Japanese are getting some new toys."

"So I see… I guess they've finally got off their asses and ordered a carrier too? Took 'em long enough, lazy bastards." I immediately realize I'd voiced my personal opinion to the entire bridge crew and shut up, though from several of the grins I guess that I'm not the only one who thinks that.

"And they've ordered some cruisers too. The lookout identified the heavy cruisers Myoko, Kumano, and Haguro. As well as the two light cruisers Noshiro and Yahagi. There's also the destroyer Akigumo." Alison points out the two heavy cruisers, which are flanking the Monterey in the middle of the convoy.

"Yikes, looks like they pack one hell of a punch." I whine, looking through a pair of binoculars at the five turrets on each cruiser.

"Ten eight-inch guns is a lot of firepower." Allison confirms.

"What about the carrier?" I ask, switching my view to the Japanese-style aircraft carrier anchored behind the Monterey.

"Shōkaku, judging from the color scheme of the planes strapped to her flight deck."

"Interesting… are the Japanese ships fully crewed?"

"I'd guess not. They're probably being manned by a skeleton crew."

"All the weebs are probably having a field day." Justin chuckles, leaning against the back wall.

"Probably." I giggle along with the others.

"Hey Cap' the Monterey is launching planes." Savannah stands at the window, looking out over the convoy through a pair of binoculars.

"Woah, really?" I hurry over to a similar pair to her right and watch as four Hellcat fighters take off, followed shortly after by four Dauntless dive bombers.

The dive bombers all split up and fly in different directions, while three of the fighters climb and circle around to fly in the general direction of Victoria. The fourth Hellcat however, it makes a turn and flies low over the ships, tilting its wings back and forth as the pilot looks at each of the anchored vessels.

"What is that fighter doing…?" Allison mumbles, staring at it in awe as it flies past. I momentarily wonder the same thing before a realization dawns on me.

"That's my brother!"

I run to the rear window and look out as the pilot pulls high and swings around to fly over again. I run to the starboard bulkhead and pull it open, running halfway up the gantry to the gun director before taking my hat off and waving it above my head at him. He tilts his wing to look in my direction and I swear we make eye contact as he flies past. He immediately rocks his wings and pulls up, doing the aerial version of a vertical U-turn before flying off to join the three other fighters.

* * *

 **HMCS Rainbow**

 **1200 hours**

 **Location: 48.3732, -124.2131**

The loud thunderous droning of four diesel engines filled the engine room. The chief engineer/boatswain was doing check ups as well as yelling instructions over the noise.

"Make sure everything's combusting properly!"

"Understood chief!" yelled back one of the mechanics, "On it!"

The various crewmembers were opening indicator valves from which blue flames were coming out. Always a good sign as it meant that everything was running properly.

"HEY! I'M LOOKING FOR JUSTIN LINDBERG!" shouted out a voice. "YEAH THANKS MATE!"

Kinh had just thanked the engine room crewman and saw Justin Lindberg. He was as tall as Remi but was much strongly built.

"Whatcha doing here captain?"

"Wanted to meet the fellow running the engine room! What's the situation?"

Both were talking at the top of their lungs to be able to hear each other over the infernal noise of the Rainbow's diesels.

"Aye aye sir! All's running good right now. This girl's got good engines. My shift's about to be over so I'm gonna grab some lunch."

"I hope you don't mind dealing with some Anime fanboys though."

"Did you say Anime?"

The chief engineer was grinning.

"Aww yeah! You into that sir?" he asked. Kinh groaned.

"I like the occasional series but I think the others know more about that stuff especially Al and Chris. Anyhow, I'm heading back to the control room Justin."

As he exited the engine room, a single thought ran through his mind.

'Why did I get all the Anime fanboys?'

Passing through the crew quarters, he could smell the canned beef stew being cooked and hear various crewmembers enjoying their meals and chatting about various subjects. The cook had handed Kinh a glass of orange juice as he passed by. It was immediately downed by the thirsty captain. After that, he passed by the radio station were a rather bored operator was sitting and revising a manual.

He had finally reached the control room. Oliver and the crew there were running things. They were monitoring various gauges while Oliver and the navigator were looking at their maps and plotting the Rainbow's course. The first mate had changed from his dress uniform into a working uniform as well but didn't wear the cap.

"Hey Oliver, anything to report?" Kinh asked as he entered the control room.

"Negative sir! Everything's normal." reported the First Mate, "Though I heard the Americans have launched aircraft."

His captain was rather surprised at hearing this. There wasn't an exercise scheduled this early.

"They weren't supposed to launch for a while non?"

Oliver shook his head.

"Knowing them sir, the pilots and their instructors probably either got fed up of waiting or they just want to show off as usual."

"Understood Oliver and please cut it out with the sir ok?" asked Kinh, "It bugs the crap out of me. I'm heading top side."

Kinh had started climbing the conning tower's ladder.

"Yes sir! I mean Kinh."

"Thanks!"

After a few moments, the captain reached the top of the conning tower. Olson and Frank were keeping watch. Olson was wearing his working uniform though the colors appeared worn out and it didn't as well ironed as the rest of the crew. A quick report from both confirmed that everything was going according to plan. The three other boats that had left Esquimalt already broke off and were heading to their positions far from convoy OYSK067 to take up picket duty.

"I heard the Yanks launched planes earlier," said Olson cryptically. He was looking at the sky.

"That's what I heard from Oliver." added Kinh, "I got a bad feeling about this though."

His instructor lowered his binoculars and smiled.

"Always trust your skipper's gut feeling son."

"Oh? I'm not sure about that." replied Kinh with a hint of nervousness, "I don't have alot of experience unlike you Olson."

He was met with a headshake and a wise smile.

"It comes with practice but even early on, it works."

"But what if there's nothing that happens? I don't want to make the crew panic for no reason." asked Kinh skeptically.

"A few surprise drills every now and then is a good thing. Keeps everyone sharp."

"Understood."

Before the conversation could continue, Frank yelled out.

"Shit! Low level Aircraft spotted! 2'o clock!"

The other two grabbed their binoculars and looked immediately at the direction that Frank had called out. They saw four low-flying Hellcat fighters roaring towards them at high speed.

"Aww tabarnak!" swore Kinh rather loudly.

"Your orders captain?" calmly asked Olson. Next to him, Frank had gone rather pale.

"They're coming in fast!"

"Wha-? Olson?"

"Captain?" asked Olson with a bit more firmness in his voice. By now, the fighters were almost above them

"Fuck this shit!" yelled Kinh before turning towards the hatch. "ALARM! AIR ATTACK! FLO-OOOD TANKS!"

He suddenly heard someone yell back.

"SIR WHAT THE FUCK?!"

At the same time, Olson had guided Frank onto the ladder. It didn't take long before the lookout slid down into the sub's conning tower.

"JUST SHUT UP AND TAKE HER DOWN!"

Olson was already on the ladder. Sounds of crewman running could be heard as well.

"YES SIR!" replied Oliver.

Kinh proceeded to get on the ladder. The sound of the Hellcats were now loud enough that they were probably above his boat. He made his way down, swearing all the way.

"MERDE! CALISSE! D'OSTIE! DE CRISSE! DE TABARNAK! FUCK!"

He braced himself against the back wall and locked the hatch before sliding down. He barely got down that he saw his crew rushing forward as he felt the submarine's fore dip. Various alarms were ringing and lights were flashing and the sound of valves and switches were heard as the crew ran through diving procedures.

"Take us down to 15 meters!" he ordered before taking up his position by the port side in order to avoid being in the way. The control room crew was adjusting various gauges and knobs while the droning of diesel engines was replaced by the loud humming of electric motors.

Oliver was making reports every five meters until the Rainbow reached its ordered depth. Blowing out a small of relief, he turned to his captain who had been monitoring the whole situation. Olson was right next to Kinh and was looking at his stopwatch.

"Sir, what just happened up there?!" asked a rather out of breath Oliver. He blew out a sigh of relief.

"The fucking Americans decided to fake an attack run on us." explained a rather annoyed Kinh. He wasn't sure who to be more annoyed with, the Hellcats or Oliver. "Four Hellcats were closing in on us. Last I heard, they were above us."

"Fucking yanks…" groaned Oliver.

"Tell everyone to get back to what their stations and get us back to periscope depth," ordered the Captain, "I'll take a look and see if the planes are still around. If not, we'll take her to surface and contact the other subs to warn'em about aircraft."

Oliver quickly answered and nodded before executing the orders. Olson smiled.

"Not bad there son," he praised.

"Huh?"

"Despite your panic, you still managed to get your boat to safety." The instructor then showed his stopwatch. It read 40 seconds.

"I'm frankly impressed. That's almost as fast as it should be. A few more drills like that and you should be able to hit the 30 seconds mark."

"Thank you Olson," said a smiling Kinh, "I amaze even myself."

Oliver turned his head from the depth meter.

"We're at periscope depth sir!"

Kinh quickly acknowledged the fact and made his way to the periscope. Turning a few knobs, he adjusted his periscope so that he could see the skies above in a limited fashion. Doing a quick scan revealed that the fighters were gone for the time being. However, after readjusting his periscope to spot anything at sea level and looking to starboard, he could see an anchored American destroyer. From a glance, the double gun turrets marked the ship as either being an Allen M. Sumner or Gearing class destroyer.

"Allright, take her back to the surface," he ordered as he slowly lowered the periscope yet kept it pointed towards the destroyer. "Diving drill's over. Oliver, send out a contact report to the other subs once we're surfaced. Radio's getting bored in his corner."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

 **1230 hours.**

 **USS Meredith wheelhouse.**

 **Status: Anchored at 48.5198, -124.5132**

{Bridge, this is Radar. I've got an additional twenty ships inbound from Port Angeles, can you confirm?}

After lounging around for half an hour waiting for the instructor ship to arrive the intercom chirps to life.

{Sonar here, I can confirm contacts to the southeast. There is an additional contact to the south, a possible submarine.}

I'm not sure which to be more interested with, the ships, or the sub.

"Bridge confirms, twenty ships to the southeast. We'll keep an eye out for the submarine." Savannah talks into the intercom before walking out onto the port side gantry, looking south. I join her and together we methodically scan the water until I spot a trail of white water, with a periscope leading the trail.

"I seeeeee yooouuu."

From what I can tell the periscope is looking at us, so I lower my binoculars and wave at it before heading back into the wheelhouse.

"Hey Captain, I think the sub is surfacing!" The Technical Officer yells into the open door a minute or so later.

"Wait, really?!"

I rush back out the door and look at the spot where the periscope was, then mentally slap myself and look further along in the way it was heading to see the conning tower starting to rise out of the water.

"What type of sub is that?" I ask, looking at the white '75' on the side of the conning tower.

"Hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure…" she pulls a tablet out of the pouch on her belt, tapping on the screen several times before swiping several times. "... It's a Tench-class. And if I cross-reference Tench-class submarines with those in Canadian service…" She taps on the screen several more times.

"It's the… HCMS Rainbow."

I facepalm, then fall into a giggling fit. "I feel sorry for any guys aboard that thing."

"I hope they at least know how to sing 'in the navy'." Savannah giggles uncontrollably, grabbing hold of the railing to keep herself steady while I stare at her in confusion.

"That went completely over my head, what?"

"I'll show you later." She continues to giggle, watching the crew of the sub climb up onto the conning tower.

"I'd hate to be the guy serving in one of those things!" I hear Justin laugh from inside the wheelhouse.

"Why not? I mean, it's a long, hard, metal tube filled with seamen. I thought you were into those kinds of things!" Samuel roars back.

"Fuck you man, that's your fortè." Justin snaps at him before everyone in the wheelhouse bursts into laughter.

{Bridge this is Radio. Instructor Gleaves just gave us orders to -and I quote- 'race that skinny bastard until either he turns or you reach the head of the convoy, whichever comes first'."

Stifling another giggling fit I re-enter the wheelhouse and cue the intercom. "Roger that Radio, tell her we will do so."

{Yes ma'am. Radio out.}

I switch to the ship-wide PA system and hold down the button. "Weigh anchor, prepare to set sail immediately."

No formalities this time. A solid thirty seconds or so later the ship's winch starts to reel the anchor in. I wait another thirty seconds to give the anchor time to at least be somewhat off the bottom before turning to Samuel.

"Ahead full, let's show these boys what speed is."

"Aye, ahead full!"

* * *

 **[A/N]: For the slightly less-educated of the readers, those numbers are latitude and longitude. If you care enough to want to know exactly where the ships are, that should help.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**[A/N]: Here's chapter two for y'all! As mentioned in the last chapter, this is a cooperative project with Goodalwayswins98. He writes the perspective of the HCMS Rainbow, and I write the perspective of the USS Meredith.**_

 _ **As always, I hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

 **September 20th,**

 **2313 hours, 20XX**

 **Aboard USS Meredith,**

 **Status: Picket duty for convoy anchored at Ioto Ogasawara.**

 **Location: 24.7410, 141.9028**

"Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink." Allison yawns as she scans the dark horizon again with a pair of binoculars.

"You make it sound like we're out of fresh water. We've still got enough to last us a week." I state before taking a drink of coffee, my newfound lifeblood that has kept me running for a good majority of the trip.

"Yeah, but it still sucks. Everyone else gets to have fun and relax at Iwo Jima while we get stuck with picket duty."

"Hey, it's not Iwo Jima anymore. It's Ioto Ogasawara. Get with the times." Samuel says teasingly,

"Samuel." I glare at the helmsman.

"Aye Captain, shutting up."

 _{Bridge, aft lookout. Is there any chance of thunder on the forecast? I could swear I just heard some.}_

I grab the Technical Officer's tablet out of the satchel hanging in the back of the bridge and pull up the weather forecast. Allison hands me the handheld radio and I hold it up to my face. "Negative, clear skies for the next five days. You might just be too tired. Swap out with someone from the Galley."

 _{Aye. Switching out.}_

I place the tablet back in the satchel and hang the radio onto the strap, a scowl on my face the entire time. "As you were saying Allison, I don't like it either. I'm running everyone ragged while the weebs and merchants get to play. We can play in Japan after we've reached Yokosuka. The instructor didn't need to order R and R."

 _{Bridge, Radio! Urgent message from Instructor Gleaves! They're under attack, and are sinking!}_

My heart jumps into my throat, and though both Allison and I run to the intercom, she reaches it first.

"Ask them if they can give us any further information! Under attack by who? How many ships?"

The silence that ensues is only broken by the sound of my heart pounding in my ears, which is enough evidence that the lone Radio Operator is hard at work.

 _{All of the armed ships there opened up on some of the cargo ships and the uncrewed instructor ships! The Instructor's ship took a full salvo from Kumano! She says it's a probable RATt infection!}_

Allison looks at me with wide and slightly terrified eyes, and I grab her by the shoulder. "Sound General Quarters. We've gotta go help anyone in the water."

She nods, fumbling with the Bosun's whistle hanging from her neck before finally holding it up to her mouth, cuing the PA system, and blowing the two-tone low-high note. "General Quarters! General Quarters! All hands man your battlestations! This is _not_ a drill!"

I flip the covered switch on the back wall and listen to the Klaxon as it starts blaring before turning to Samuel, who already has his protective gear on.

"Full speed ahead! Full left rudder! Get this boat pointed in the right direction!"

"Aye! Full speed ahead! Full left rudder!"

He spins the wheel with one hand while changing the E.O.T with the other, and the ship responds according, tightly turning to port until the bow is pointed in the general direction of Ioto Ogasawara.

The E.O.T finally rings back with the acknowledgements from the engine rooms, and I can feel the ship start to accelerate, though with a bit of shaking due to cavitation.

Finally with a pounding of boots and shoes on the metal gantry Justin, Savannah, and Serena stumble in, still half asleep, but dressed in their uniforms.

"What's going on?" Justin asks, throwing on a protective vest and helmet.

"The convoy was just attacked. The Instructor's ship has been severely damaged along with several cargo ships. We're moving in to rescue any people in the water and ensure further safety of the convoy."

"Do we know who attacked them? This sounds more serious than some pirates." Savannah stuffs her tablet into the pouch on her belt and runs the sleep out of her eyes.

"Reports are that the warships in the convoy including the Brooklyn all opened fire. The Instructor said that this is a possible infection."

Finally Emily stumbles in, her hair a complete mess, but dressed in her uniform. "I heard infection. Please tell me this isn't the same shit that the Japs were battling a couple months ago."

"It's starting to sound like it." I confirm, refilling my coffee mug at the rear of the wheelhouse.

 _{Bridge, Radio. The Monterey and the other destroyers are trying to monitor the rogue ships while we go to help the damaged ships.}_

"Copy that Radio. Bridge out."

 _{My apologies Bridge, but there's more. They can't find the Akigumo or the Myōkō.}_

All of us on the bridge look at each other nervously at the mentioning of the missing heavy cruiser, and Allison gulps before cuing the intercom. "Thank you Radio, we'll keep our eyes peeled. Bridge out."

* * *

 **September 20th,**

 **2320 hours, 20XX**

 **HMCS Rainbow**

 **Status: Preparing for convoy raiding exercise**

 **Location: 24.6604, 140.9400**

An eerily red light filled the sub's control room. The sound of footsteps could barely be heard as the crew moved with an agility they had developed over the past few weeks. A series of simulated exercises with the convoy and its warships had helped the sailors and officers of the Rainbow master their boat and the skills related to underwater warfare. Tonight was yet another practice for them in which they had to "raid" OYSK067 and bail out before getting caught.

"Periscope depth reached sir," announced Oliver. He was looking at the depth gauge as he made his report.

"Excellent," replied Kinh, "I'll raise periscope and catch a glimpse of what's going on top. Rig for silent running."

"Yes sir!"

In the past month, thanks to the rigours of submarine warfare, the crew of the Rainbow had loosened up on their appearance. Some of them were sporting small beards and mustaches while their hair had grown out. Their uniforms, though clean, weren't ironed. Olson had grown a massive beard while Kinh had a few small whiskers above his upper lip. Oliver had managed to stay well groomed. Luckily for them, the Rainbow had been modernized with creature comforts like a pair of showers and the desalination units were modern ones that were superior to those originally on. Still the scent of diesel and sweat clung to their uniforms as recirculated air filled their lungs while they sailed underwater.

The order for silent running was sent over the sub's intercom. Looking over the control room crew was Olson. The man had remained passive yet something had been nagging at him all day long.

The humming of electric motors was heard while Oliver and Kinh laid out the course to take. The rest of the crew was readying themselves for the "attack".

The Rainbow was making its way stealthily towards its intended target. So far, everything was progressing normally. Kinh was scanning the horizon with his periscope looking for anything unusual when he felt someone tapping on his shoulder.

"What is it Oliver?"

"Sonar's picked up something heading our way," he reported nervously, "High speed screws."

Kinh removed himself from the periscope and looked at his first mate in surprise. He was holding a clipboard and looking at it.

"What?" he hissed, "Are you sure?"

"Sonar's confirmed it," replied Oliver, "Contact bearing zero-four-nine."

"So heading our way."

He was nervously sweating. Both didn't noticed that Olson was frowning. The captain's mind tried to find a reason for this development.

"Maybe someone decided to break the rules and take the initiative," said Kinh. He wasn't sure if he was convincing himself or his first mate. "What's the ETA?"

Oliver took a look at his watch and clipboard. He was in deep concentration as he calculated.

"In about five minutes sir." he answered. Kinh massaged his temples and let out a sigh of annoyance. He muttered a few swear words. "You know the drill."

Returning to his periscope, he continued to scan the horizon for the "enemy" ship.

"Keep me updated about that ship's heading." he ordered. "We'll find and shake him off."

Scanning the horizon for an approaching ship in pitch darkness was a difficult task made slightly easier by Oliver's directions. From the reports that the first mate received from the sonar operator, it appeared that the contact didn't have any idea where they were and was searching for them.

"I think we might be able to slip past them," muttered Kinh, "Set heading for three-five-zero."

"Understood, set heading for three-five-zero."

Just as he finished his order, the familiar sound of sonar pings resonates through the boat followed by a audible but muffled grunt of pain and a headset falling.

'Merde...it's a fucking destroyer.'

Oliver blanched as he received the latest report on the contact. Sweat formed on his brow as he described the changing situation.

"Contact's changing its heading sir… heading is now one-nine-zero."

Kinh felt his heart beat faster and knew the answer to his next question.

"Right towards us?" he asked nervously as he looked at his first mate who merely nodded, "Tabarnak…"

The Rainbow stood no chance of evading its foe. With a top speed of 6 knots, it was a sitting duck against what the crew suspected was a destroyer steaming at cruising speed. Looking through his periscope, he could see a searchlight moving across the ocean's surface. It was getting closer towards the Rainbow's periscope. Needing nothing more, the captain began lowering his periscope as he could though he saw the searchlights beam fill his sight as he removed his eye from his optic.

"Enemy ship's picking up speed and changing bearing!" reported Oliver, "We've been found!"

"How long before they're on top of us?!"

"Maybe 2 minutes at most!"

"Tabarnak! Take us down to 40 meters NOW! Prepare for depth charges!" yelled Kinh. Sweat trickled down his head.

"Set depth to 40 meters!"

The crew felt their boat dip forward as they ran through the diving procedures.

"Depth charge above us sir!" shouted the sonar operator.

"Change heading to zero-five-zero!"

What happened next however marked the crew of the Rainbow. A series of loud simultaneous explosions were heard above them as their boat shook from the violent force. Lights flashed inside the various compartments as many tried to digest what had just happened.

"FUCKING HELL!" yelled a red-faced Olson, "Those were live charges!"

"WHAT?!" was all Kinh and Oliver could say before their instructor grabbed the intercom phone.

"Damage report all compartments!" he asked urgently. After a brief moment, the first reports from the rest of the crew came back.

"Torpedo room all good!" gruffily replied Remi over the net.

"Engine room uh all good here!" answered Justin.

"Crew quarters all good!" exclaimed Al with clearly anger in his voice.

'Thank god'

Looking over at the Rainbow's captain and first mate with a steely gaze, Olson issued his next directives. His voice had lost its usual casualness and was filled with cold, determined resolve.

"I'm taking over command right now. With what's happening right now-"

"Understood!" cut off Kinh.

"Destroyer is circling back towards us!" frantically reported the sonar operator, "Bearing one-seventy-two, entering our baffles!"

Olson's had an expression of deep concentration on his stern face. He appeared to run through his mind to find an escape for the Rainbow.

"Full reverse! Hard left rudder!" he called into the intercom. The command crew began activating various levers, wheels and valves as they executed the orders. The Rainbow shifted course.

"Depth charges above us sir!" shouted the sonar operator for another time. Olson nodded with a grim smile.

"Ahead slow! Nose down five!" shouted the instructor.

All the while this was happening, Kinh and Oliver were staring in awe at Olson's prowess with the sub. The ominous sound of propellers above the Rainbow filled the crew with dread as they looked nervously above them. Some were silently praying that they would escape unscathed from the renewed assault. Sweat was marking the cadets' uniforms while others hoped that their bladders would hold on a bit longer. Those standing up were bracing themselves for the eminent shockwaves by holding

"Merdemerdemerde" muttered Kinh, "Fucking sons of bitches… fuck you, your mother and your fucking depth charges! "

He could hear Oliver's breathing quickening before another series of blasts shook their sub. The lights flashed again before coming back on.

"Goddammit why are they doing this?" moaned the First Mate. He was on the verge of tears as he held onto a railing.

"Fucking shit, I don't fucking know man," snapped angrily Kinh, "I'm gonna fucking put my boot up that captain's ass if I find him… along with whoever's manning the goddamn depth charge launchers."

While that exchange took place, Olson still had his wits about him and was assessing the situation.

"Destroyer is maintaining its current heading." reported the sonar operator as he breathed heavily.

"Hard right rudder!" called out Olson. "All stop!"

He let out a sigh of relief. "Any changes in that destroyer's heading?"

"Not yet," replied the sonar operator. "They're still sailing away from us, heading one-seventy-five. Picking up speed."

"Must have run out of live depth charges." realized the instructor.

A laugh of relief rang out in the control room.

"Fuck man… tu me fucking niaises," Kinh chuckled hysterically, "Y'ont manqué de munitions. This is the best tabarnak."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Oliver called out an order to the sonar operator..

"Monitor that fucking destroyer's heading."

"Aye sir!"

* * *

 **Aboard USS Meredith,**

 **0107 hours, September 21st**

 **Status: En-route to Ioto Ogasawara to assist in rescue**

 **Location: 24.6993, 141.3530**

The tense silence on the bridge is only broken when a skinny guy from the gun director opens the starboard bulkhead. "Captain, there is a ship on the horizon to our front."

"How far?" I ask, scanning to our front with a pair of binoculars.

"It's just past the point. We can't tell what it is, but it's something big."

"Savannah, get me spotlights on that ship."

"Aye Captain." She starts conversing with people on the handheld, and I turn back to the guy from the gun director. "Get back to your post, we may need your skills soon enough."

He closes and locks the bulkhead, once again sealing the bridge closed.

"Captain, spotlights are ready on your mark."

"Turn 'em on."

I stare intently through the windows, and the spotlights light up the ship that is barely even five miles in front of us. More specifically, what catches my eye about the ship isn't the size of the vessel, but the ten eight-inch muzzles.

Pointed straight at us.

"It's the Myoko!" Savannah gasps, looking at the ship through a pair of binoculars until multiple flashes of orange belch out from the gun turrets.

"Hard to Starboard!" I order, pointing at Samuel. " _NOW!_ "

The ship only begins its turn when the shells shriek in, and by god's grace alone the shells all miss, but some of us are thrown to the floor from the explosions that follow.

"Get me the shortest course out of their gun range! Let's start laying smoke! Turn those spotlights off!" I yell as I haul myself to my feet. "They're firing live ammunition, and in this tin can we can't afford to take a hit!"

With the simple flip of a switch both of the smoke generators start belching out black smoke that hangs low on the water, making it damn near impossible for the Myoko to see us, especially in the dark. That doesn't stop the ship from firing wildly at us, scoring more than a few near-misses.

"Serena I want torpedoes in the water. Get them to maneuver."

"Aye Captain. How many torpedoes?"

"All of them."

She grins fiendishly and nods, leaning into a voice tube before she starts giving instructions to the torpedo launchers.

"Justin, get me star shells straight up. The more we can put ourselves in the shadow of the smoke the better."

"Yes ma'am! Star shells, coming right up!"

 _{Torpedoes to our stern! They'll miss unless we keep turning!}_ One of the lookouts shouts over the radio as another salvo of shells shriek in.

"Straighten us out Samuel."

"Yes ma'am."

 _'I completely forgot that the Myoko has torpedoes…'_

I walk over to the intercom and press the button for the radio room. "Radio, Bridge. Advise Monterey and the destroyers that the Japanese cruisers have torpedoes, and that we're in contact with Myoko south of Ioto."

 _{Roger wilco Bridge.}_

"Captain, both launchers are ready on your mark." Serena advises as the guns fire straight up, launching star shells through the smoke layer.

"Fire torpedoes."

She leans into the speaking tube. "Launcher one, launcher two. Give 'em hell!"

The launch of the torpedoes is quiet enough that it can't be heard from the bridge, but the report back from the launchers is audible to us all.

 _"Launcher one, all torpedoes away!"_

 _"Launcher two, four away, one's jammed in the tube!"_

Serena looks at me for advisement, and I point towards the aft end of the ship. "Get that faulty fish off my ship. Helmsman, get us the hell out of here, the survivors will have to wait."

"Aye Captain!"

The next salvo is ripple-fired by the Heavy Cruiser, and though I hear the splashes of the first few shells the last few I hear the shriek stop, without an impact.

"Brace for impact!"

Everyone lowers their center of balance and grabs onto the nearest bolted-down object just as the ship lurches from the detonation of eight-inch shells in the water.

"Damage report!" Savannah yells into the handheld radio.

 _{There's a nice neat hole in both sides of the fore smokestack.}_

 _{One of the Bofors mounts is missing a barrel.}_

 _{Nothing to report.}_

"Those shells are a too little close for comfort." Allison's voice wavers slightly as she looks to me, her face clearly showing that she's absolutely terrified.

"Helmsman, zigzag on this course. Gunnery, you may open fire. I'm authorizing use of live rounds." I pull a key on a necklace out of my shirt and look to Allison, who shakily does the same and starts to walk over to a keyswitch on the opposite side of the wheelhouse from mine.

I insert my key into the switch and look to Allison to confirm she's done the same before I take a deep breath. "On my mark. Three. Two. One. Mark." We both turn our keys simultaneously, and a red light appears above the switches before we pull our keys out and close the covers.

"Alright Gunnery, make it rain." I mumble, watching the fore turrets turn while Justin calls out instructions.

"Radar shows target at six miles even! Pre-set and let 'em have it, but make sure you aim low!"

The guns slightly change their elevation before the reports come in from the gun officers.

 _"Gun Alpha ready!"_

 _"Gun Bravo on target!"_

 _"Gun Charlie ready!"_

Justin looks back at me for one last confirmation, and I nod. "Fire at will."

"All guns, commence fire!"

Our first salvo lights up the night around us in a sudden flash of orange while our guns belch columns of flame.

 _{Bridge, gun director! We can't see the fall of the shells because of the smoke!}_

I walk over to the intercom and answer them. "That's fine gun director, we're just firing to make ourselves feel better."

The response has a dark chortle to it, while in the background full on laughter can be heard. _{Roger that Bridge. Gun director out.}_

* * *

 **USS Meredith DD-726**

 **0348, September 21st.**

 **Status: en-route to rendezvous with USS Johnston DD-557**

 **Location: 24.5462, 141.1572**

"Cap'n, sorry to wake you. We've got the captain of the Monterey on the horn. She's asking to talk with you."

I sit up and swing my legs out of bed before looking at Savannah, who hands me a cup of coffee.

"Thanks. I'll be up in a jiff." I mumble, wiping my eyes. The Technical Officer leaves my quarters, and I take a cautious sip from the mug before standing up.

"No rest for the wicked I guess."

I traverse the easy route up to the bridge and refill my mug before grabbing the ship's phone. "Captain Danielle Schumer of the Meredith here."

 _{Hello Danielle, I'm Sierra Lurtz, Captain of the Monterey. I've managed to round up all of the cargo ships and the liberty ships that weren't damaged last night. I need at least one destroyer with us before we head to Japan though.}_

"You're not going to be staying here to help keep track of the rogue ships?"

 _{I can't unless we get more ships. The only reason we were allowed to come along was due to the amount of ships involved.}_

I'm fuming inside, but at the same time I understand the situation. "Alright. Let me ask everyone. I can't make this decision on my own."

 _{Alright, I'll be waiting.}_

I hang up the phone, take a drink of coffee, and turn around.

"Alright, here's the situation. Monterey has managed to round up the undamaged cargo and liberty ships. They need a destroyer to escort them to Japan, and they're asking us to do it. I want everyone's opinion, we can either stay here and continue monitoring the rogue ships, or we can go with them to Japan."

There's a minute or so while everyone makes up their minds, and it's only broken by Allison. "I vote we stay."

"I vote stay." Justin nods with his vote.

"Stay."

"Let's stay. Escorting them to Japan would just put more lives in danger by not keeping an eye on these ships."

"I vote stay. But ultimately it's your choice cap'n."

 _{Submarine surfacing to our starboard side!}_ a lookout up in the gun director calls out over the handheld radio, and I rush over to the starboard side windows to spot the sub in the early morning light.

"That number… it's the Rainbow!" Savannah cheers, looking at the sleek sub through a pair of binoculars.

"But are they friendly?" I ask, watching the deck gun for any sign of activity.

"Only one way to find out. Flash them a message. Ask them if they're friendly."

"You think that'll work?" Allison asks from beside me as I let her borrow my binoculars.

"From what the report said on the rat incident the infected ships didn't respond to any sort of hailing."

"Alright, here goes nothing."

* * *

 **HMCS Rainbow**

 **0350, September 21st.**

 **Status: Surfacing**

 **Location: 24.5462, 141.1572**

After a couple of hours filled with harrowing fears of rogue destroyers and live depth charges, the Rainbow had located a warship by passive sonar. Its heading was leading it straight towards the convoy.

Looking through his raised periscope, Kinh adjusted the zoom levels as he spotted the lone destroyer steaming away from him at roughly 20 knots. The dark night was slowly fading away as the first rays sunlight appeared.

 _'Seems they haven't detected us yet,'_ he mused, _'Otherwise they'd have swung around against us.'_

"Any other contacts on sonar?" he asked before peering again into the periscope. He wanted to make sure that he wasn't being led into a trap of some kind. One depth charge attack was more than enough "thrills" for today and he shuddered at the thought of going through another one.

Looking at the warship, he noticed something odd…

"What the hell happened to that ship's smokestack?" he muttered, "Why is it smoking from the sides and top?"

Furthermore, he noticed students posing around the smokestack and small flashes before them.

 _'The fuck… photos?'_

"Something's not right here Oliver," he remarked, his periscope still pointing on the destroyer, "They're not combat ready for two cents."

Oliver was struggling to stay awake at his post. His eyes bleary as his head kept tilting forwards and backwards. He was leaning back on the navigation table.

"What sir?" he asked groggily, "The unknown contact?"

"Yeah, the crew seems too laid back to be trying to attack us," Kinh said casually before turning to Olson, "Take a look at this will you? I'm thinking we could surface and ask them what's going on if you think it's safe."

"Gimme a second," replied the tired instructor before he took Kinh's place at the periscope. He blinked in disbelief. "That destroyer isn't at battle stations at all."

"All right then… take her up!" ordered Kinh.

 _'Finally some fresh air,'_ he thought, _'And an explanation for that damned mess.'_

He felt the Rainbow's bow lift upwards and watched as the depth gauge moving towards zero. The sound of the hull clearing the surface ran through the crew's ears signalling that the sub had finally surfaced. Using the intercom, he called up Al and Chris to the control center. As they arrived, it showed that they had gotten up in a hurry during the night as their uniforms were unkempt.

"What's going on?", asked Al tiredly. His eyes were barely opened.

"We got a potential friendly contact on the surface. I need you to signal and confirm their intention," explained Kinh as he stifled a yawn, "As for you Chris, I want you to keep your eyes open for anything unusual."

Both boys nodded before the trio climbed up the ladder to the top of the conning tower. As they opened the hatch, the salty smell of the ocean air filled their noses. It was a welcoming change from the recirculated air in the sub's compartments. Kinh grabbed the intercom and patched himself through to the engine room.

"Justin, get ready to crash dive on my word."

"Aye aye sir!" Justin responded. "I'll set the engines to charge batteries in the meantime."

"Understood," replied the captain before turning to Al, "Signal them! Ask' em if they're friendlies."

"Right!"

The watch officer activated his signal lamp and flashed a message in morse code. Kinh had raised his binoculars and pointed them to the destroyer.

..-. .-. .. . -. -.. .-.. -.-

Much to Kinh's surprise and relief, the destroyer flashed the same message in morse: Friendly?

A grin appeared on his tired face as he yelled in happiness. "They're on our side haha!"

"Ostie man… I'd never thought I'd be so happy to see a destroyer!" Al exclaimed with a goofy smile on his face.

Soon cries of joy were heard when the control room crew overheard their captain and lookouts' shouting.

"Message them if we can come aboard."

* * *

 **Aboard USS Meredith DD-726**

 **0402, September 21st,**

 **Status: interrogating HMCS Rainbow of hostile intentions via flashing light signals.**

 **Location: 24.5462, 141.1572**

"They're asking if they can come aboard? Tell them yes, but only three people at most."

Savannah nods and turns back to the signal lamp, flashing the message out to the submariners. I can see their reactions are mixed at first, but the message they flash back is simple.

\- -. - -.- .- .- -.- (On my way)

I lower my binoculars and pull out my phone, using the camera like a mirror. "I suppose I should go make myself look presentable."

"In the meantime, I'll get some coffee and snacks ready for our guests." Savannah says with an innocent smile.

"You do that. I'll be back topside in five." I yawn before jogging down the amidships gantry and onto the deck, then into the nearby bulkhead. I navigate the narrow corridors to my quarters with ease. The second the door is closed I'm taking off my uniform. A new, freshly-pressed uniform is hanging above my bed courtesy of the torpedo operators, and I waste no time getting into it and taking care of my messy hair, combing it down so all of the ginger strands lay together.

I look at the mirror on the wall and put my captain's cap on. "Fuck it, no time for makeup."

Last but not least I slip on my dress shoes and button the cuffs on my sleeves before heading back out, taking a shortcut through the radio room to the deck.

"Hey tell the Johnston we'll be a bit late." I slap one of the two radio operators on the shoulder while I walk past.

"Yes Ma'am!"

When I get out onto the deck I find that a rope ladder has been lowered over the side for the sub to pull up to, and I watch the Tench-class sub knife through the water before pulling up alongside. In contrast to how I'm dressed the submariners on the conning tower are dressed in loose clothes, which I guess is fitting, given their working environment.

While waiting for them to get up the ladder I use my phone once more as a camera, and only now do I take note of the bags under my eyes due to lack of sleep.

 _'Shit, should've put on makeup after all. Well, too late now.'_

The first person who climbs up the ladder and over the railing has a Captain's cap on, but that's not the only defining feature about him. The guy is slightly shorter than me, but his most defining feature is the dude almost looks like a living stereotype of Asians. Buck teeth, and square wire-frame glasses. He's cursing up a storm in multiple languages while talking to his comrades in what I think is french, with some english mixed in.

The second man up is a rather tall and muscular blonde guy with the developments of what should be a beard, and the last up is a tall man with a big beard that screams 'experience' with some gray hairs mixed in with chestnut-colored hair. All of them have rather dark-colored uniforms, and the captain's cap seems to be incredibly dirty.

"Good morning to you, I am Captain Kinh-Luyên Huynh of the HMCS Rainbow though call me Kinh." The captain introduces himself first as the second man climbs over the railing. "This is Albert Gendreau and Robert Olson."

Both of the two look practically dead on their feet, and I'm kinda glad that I'm not the only person who looks like I had a rough night.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm the Watch Officer of the Rainbow and for speed, just say Al."

 _'Okay… he's clearly not fully awake. I wonder if Savannah has that coffee ready yet?'_

"Captain-Instructor Robert Olson." The older sailor introduces himself, looking like he's fresh out of the rack, though his beard is ungroomed. "I'm assigned to the Rainbow as its instructor."

The captain clears his throat and flashes a look to his watch officer, who is tiredly leaning on the railing. "Apologies if we don't look as good as you guys but we've had a fucking rough night," he yawns before continuing. "One of the destroyers depth charged us twice with live explosives rather than training duds before running off. We've spent the past of couple of hours sneaking around until our sonar picked you guys up."

The news of a rogue destroyer catches my attention, as the Akigumo is still MIA.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Danielle Schumer, Captain of this here ship the USS Meredith. I'm sorry none of my subordinates are here, but we also had a rough night. Our instructor ship is sunk, along with some of our cargo ships intended for Japan. We found the Heavy Cruiser Myōkō, and that's how we got that battlescar." I look up at the smokestack, where most of the girls and guys from the gun director have stopped taking pictures with the damage and are looking down at us. "Oi! Do you mind?" I yell at them. They quickly shuffle off to somewhere else while I flash an apologetic look to our guests.

"Huh… that's how we figured you were possibly friendlies. That and the fact your crew was taking pictures near that smokestack."

I crack a smile and breathe in the cool ocean air, helping keep myself awake until I can get my hands on more coffee. "Well, thanks for not slamming a torpedo into us. We should have coffee down in the Mess if you'd care to join me."

The Watch Officer's eyes light up at the mention of coffee. "Thank you very much for the invitation." His enthusiasm given his ragged appearance is actually rather surprising, and the instructor follows up quickly. "We'll take you up on that offer Captain Schumer." His eyes suddenly show worry. "But do you have any news of the instructor ship that was sunk?"

The Captain's enthusiasm is unrivaled compared to the watch officer. "Merci bien! I think I'll also bring a few pots for my boys on the Rainbow."

I look to the instructor first. "We can swing by the radio shack on the way below. There's been so much shit flowing in lately I honestly can't keep track of most of it that doesn't involve the rogue ships or the convoy." I delve deep into my adrenaline-fueled memories from last night and pull up what little I can while starting to walk towards the bulkhead leading into the radio room. "Last night somewhere around midnight all of the warships that we were escorting to Japan opened up on the anchored convoy from inside. The instructor's ship took a full broadside from the heavy cruiser Kumano, and the light cruiser USS Brooklyn hasn't responded at all. The other three destroyers and the escort carrier have been either keeping track of the rogue ships or rounding up what's left of the convoy." I realize I'm rambling on and clam up, taking another breath to get my thoughts in order. "We can't seem to get in contact with the Navy or the Blue Mermaids. Every ship has been trying all of the emergency channels, but we just get nothing but static. We can't even hear each other on the emergency channels."

"How about satellite communications?" The instructor asks as I duck through the bulkhead into the radio room.

I can't help but laugh. "Respectfully sir, we're cadets, not the actual navy. The instructor ship was the only one with satellite communications, so unless you've got a SAT-phone, we're shit outta luck."

I lean over the shoulder of the radio operator in charge of logging everything that we receive. "Hey Mark, how soon can you get me a log of everything that's happened between now and the instructor's distress signal last night?"

"One second Captain… Johnston has lost track of Kumano, and they're trying to find her again… your log is printing on two."

"Thanks. Keep up the good work. I'll have someone bring up coffee for you in a bit." I clap the mohawk-clad radio operator on the shoulder before grabbing the printing sheets from a printer mounted on the wall beside a stack of radios. Twelve sheets of paper in hand I wave my guests along and lead the way down to the mess, which is currently empty.

I wave us over to a table by the coffee pot and sit down, inviting them to do the same before laying the radio log on the table.

"Alright, let's get down to brass tacks."

* * *

 **HMCS Rainbow**

 **0402, September 21st.**

 **Status: Surfaced, next to an American destroyer**

 **Location: 24.5462, 141.1572**

After ordering his boat to adjust course to line up with the destroyer and pulling along side the surface ship, Kinh looked at the ship's deck. He immediately noticed how much better dressed and groomed his American counterparts were.

 _'You try and look good when living in a fucking sub,'_ he mentally grumbled. Alongside him was Olson and Al. He had asked for those two since Olson was an instructor and he could trust Al to not make a show. Oliver would remain on the sub to ensure everything was in order.

As he started climbing the rope ladder, he began cursing.

"Tabarnak, pourquoi y'ont pas une ostie de fucking rampe? Calisse que c'est de l'ostie de marde." (Tabarnak, why don't they have a fucking gangplank? Fuck this fucking bullshit).

"Ta yeule pis grimpe crisse de fif." shouted back Al. (Shut the fuck up and climb you goddamn wimp.)

"Fuck you ostie!"

Olson merely rolled his eyes. This wasn't anything new for him.

Finally reaching the top, Kinh dusted himself off before wiping his hands on the seat of his pants.

"Good morning to you, I am Captain Kinh-Luyên Huynh of the HMCS Rainbow though call me Kinh," he saluted before introducing his colleagues who were getting over the railing, "This is Albert Gendreau and Robert Olson." He hoped that he didn't seem too braindead. In front of him was a young woman that was slightly taller than him. She had an elegant but well built physique while her long, vibrant red hair clashed with her tired expression. Judging by her uniform, she was probably the captain of the destroyer.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm the Watch Officer of the Rainbow and for speed, just say Al." he said before leaning back on the railing

"Captain-Instructor Robert Olson," said the older man, "I'm assigned to the Rainbow as its instructor."

Kinh cleared his throat.

"Apologies if we don't look as good as you guys but we've had a fucking rough night," he explained as he yawned, "One of the other destroyers depth charged us twice with live explosives rather than training duds before running off. We've spent the past of couple of hours sneaking around until our sonar picked you guys up."

He immediately notices the captain perking up as she heard his tale. She introduced herself as Captain Danielle Schumer of the USS Meredith before explaining a rather grim situation… Rogue ships sinking other ships and how her ship almost got obliterated by a Japanese cruiser but somehow survived with only a hole in her smokestack before berating her crew for listening in. His head rang a bit at her yelling.

"Huh… that's how we figured you were possibly friendlies," Kinh remarked dryly, "That and the fact your crew was taking pictures near that smokestack."

Danielle managed to crack a smile before taking a deep breath.

"Well, thanks for not slamming a torpedo into us," she replied, "We should have coffee down in the Mess if you'd care to join me."

Al's eyes lit up a bit.

"Thank you very much for the invitation." he said with somewhat more enthusiasm followed by Olson.

"We'll take you up on that offer Captain Schumer," said the instructor before asking the question that nagged him, "But do you have any news of the instructor ship that was sunk?"

"Merci bien!" said Kinh with a tired smile, "I think I'll also bring a couple of pots back for my boys on the Rainbow."

His American counterpart began explaining the situation after they began making their to the radio room. It was, in Kinh's mind, a complete mess. Communications were out, ships had been sunk or disappeared or fired on their own. The convoy was reforming after last night's attacks though it only had three ships guarding it right now. The sub commander shook his head, really wishing for some sleep after last night's events. After stopping at the radio room and hearing about a rather unpleasant development about another missing warship, the crewmembers of the Rainbow were being led to the empty mess hall to discuss of the current situation.

"Alright Captain Schumer, first off, can I just call you Danielle? We submariners aren't too formal cause time's precious." Kinh asked as he poured coffee into everyone's mug.

"Of course, please do," answered the redhead as her counterpart handed her a mug of steaming coffee.

"Second, what happened to you guys over night while we were getting depth charged eh?"

The American captain spread out a dozen loose sheets before explaining what they were.

"Around approximate one-thirty we approached Ioto Ogasawara in an effort to rescue the sailors from the sunken ships. We encountered the heavy cruiser Myōkō, and were fired upon. In the interest of keeping the ship in one piece we turned around, launched torpedoes in the general direction of the cruiser, and beat feet in the other direction. Not much happened after that aside from multiple location reports from the other ships regarding the rogue ships. Our instructor said this might be another RATt incident."

Kinh reclined back on the bench.

"Tabarnak… just what we fucking needed, un ostie de croiseur lourd avec un équipage fucké par le fucking RATt." (A goddamn heavy cruiser with a crew gone mad by the fucking RATt.) he groaned before asking his next question, "How many ships went dark?"

"Let's see here… Seven Japanese-style ships, and six others. The light cruisers Yahagi, Brooklyn, and Noshiro. Destroyer Akigumo, who you gentlemen encountered earlier. The heavy cruisers Haguro, Myōkō, and Kumano. The aircraft carrier Shōkaku, and five Liberty ships."

Upon hearing this, Olson decided to speak up.

"Any aircraft spotted and what were those cargo ships carrying?"

"From what I know… and from what these logs say, not a single plane has been spotted. Sadly I can't say I know what the ships were carrying. Let me get my Technical Officer down here."

Danielle stood up and made her way to the intercom system.

"Bridge, Captain."

 _{Go ahead Captain.}_

"Send Savannah down here to the mess, we have need of her tablet."

 _{Aye, she's on the way.}_

While Danielle was waiting for her Technical Officer to get to the mess hall, the Rainbow's officers were discussing the situation as they drank their much needed coffee.

"I reckon we could take out the bigger ships with our torpedoes though we'd have to find them first. They shouldn't have gotten too far away," estimated a somewhat more awakened Al.

"The only problem is finding those ships without them finding us," said Olson but was interrupted.

"As good a plan as that sounds, we need to keep those ships afloat." Danielle argued, sitting down across from them again.

"Figures," remarked Kinh, "We can't go around sending other cadets to Davy Jones' locker eh. Not to mention that the Japanese just paid for those new ships too. Just for reference, Olson?"

"Yeah?"

"All our torpedoes can be made live right?" He was met with a nod. "Good."

"Hold up a tick. Is it not clear enough? We _cannot_ sink those ships. Why are you asking that?"

"Crisse, it's simple… any of those ships decide to attack civilian shipping or cities… we're gonna have to stop them, non?" retorted Kinh, "I understand your point but I need a backup solution. Even if the Rainbow had a deck gun… it's a fucking watergun against anything badder than a Liberty ship. That said, we'll avoid sinking them for now."

"Just a question for you though." Al asked looking at Danielle, "Didn't the Japanese contain the RATt?"

"From our reports, they did do a sweep of all the small islands within a certain distance of Japan. But it's a big ocean, and finding an animal as small as a rat is no easy feat. Some were bound to slip through."

"Évidemment," muttered Kinh before turning his attention to his host, "Correct me if I'm wrong but this whole virus incident started after an instructor ship and a good part of that school got infected during an exercise. What was that school again?"

"Yokosuka Girls High School. The same school we were supposed to be escorting the convoy to."

"Luckily, one of their ships gets away despite everything being thrown at them but most of that school's fleet is infected." continued Kinh.

"The destroyer Harekaze. They faced down a state-of-the-art instructor ship, a German Deutschland-class pocket battleship, a Kongo-class battleship, and also managed to ram and board the Yamato-class battleship Musashi. They're practically celebrities to us on destroyers."

"I can understand that," gruffly replied Olson, "We submariners heard that they managed to disable the best sub that Toumai had with one depth charge, steel wire and a paravane."

"Ok, what the fuck did those crew learn in theoretical classes?" exclaimed Al, "That's fucking op."

"I want to meet that crew and shake hands with all of them! What do we know about that virus though?" asked Kinh, "We got shots for it before sailing out but that's definitely not something natural though. Mind controlling hate virus? Sounds like a bad science gone wrong movie."

"I believe I can help shed some light on that."

The mess hall's occupants turned their heads at the new arrival. The girl walks in with a computer under her arm. Her strawberry red hair is french braided and pulled over her left shoulder. Her dainty frame seemed like it didn't quite fit in with the steel surrounding them all, but when she sat down her expression proved otherwise, showing no-nonsense.

"This virus originates from genetically modified rats. It creates a sort of hive-mind that enables large groups of people to work seamlessly together. It started when a research sub sank to unreachable depths, and the project was abandoned."

"Do we know how that sub sank?" asked Al with a raised eyebrow, "Cause every lost boat has to be investigated and they don't sink without reason."

"Maybe an accident happened and the crew lost control?" suggested Kinh, "They were doing experiments so something went wrong? Who knows?"

"Nope, it doesn't say in the report… wait… here it is. Ballast tank rupture, leading to the sub sinking into the depths."

Olson shook his head in disbelief at this statement.

"Bullshit! Ballast tanks don't just rupture without cause. Subs go through heavy inspections before heading out and that included metal stressing tests on their ballast tanks. Either there's been criminal negligence or something else happened. How old was that boat?"

"Let's see here…"

The Technical Officer began scrolling through her computer's files.

"It was launched… two years ago-"

"How many patrols did that boat do?" interrupted Kinh, "Maybe they overstressed the hull in some very localised points?"

"It says right here though that it was a 'deep water research station'." explained Savannah as she turned her laptop towards her audience. "That means there should be no fucking way that the tanks on that thing ruptured."

"What about the scientists and logs inside?" remarked Al, "Those should have given us a better light."

"The crew drowned inside and the damage to the electronics was so bad that they were unsalvageable. Apparently, they sank so fast they couldn't get their emergency beacon out," answered Olson with a frown, "One crewmember got lucky and wasn't on board when that boat went down. Broke his leg a few days before in some sporting accident. That scientist and the rest of his shore team were the ones that reported that the sub went missing after they failed to report back on time."

"That is one lucky bastard," whistled Kinh, "If I recall correctly, the sub washed up right?"

"Actually, an island formed and pushed it up out of the water. The Yokosuka training exercise was designated to be in the island chain, and thus that's how the instructor ship contracted the virus."

"Alright, skip the whole description of the ordeal, we can go over it later. The big question is how do we combat this virus? What do we do to people who are infected?" The American captain asked, refilling her mug.

"The report says that exposure to saltwater during early stages of infection can render the virus inactive, but after approximately eight hours exposure to salt water will only render the infected individual unconscious. In order to decontaminate a ship the recommended method is… a cat."

"A cat?" asked Kinh with great interest.

"Yep! There's even a picture of a tabby cat in here. The description says it was the cat that was aboard the Harekaze." To prove herself the Technical Officer turned the computer around to show a fat orange cat grooming itself atop a pair of Japanese naval binoculars. "He almost looks like Garfield!"

"Aww it's so fucking fat and adorable," squealed Kinh with obvious joy in his eyes, "I want that cat." he exclaimed with envy while Al was rolling his eyes in annoyance and muttered something along the line of "Urgh cats".

"If he had an orange belly he would look _exactly_ like Garfield, but that's beside the point." Danielle started to get sidetracked, but quickly got herself straightened out.

"What would be the plan then ladies and gents?" asked Olson with a smile.

"Well, our first two priorities should be the following. One, keeping track of all the ships. And two, evacuating the survivors from Ioto to mainland Japan." proposed Danielle.

"I like that but I don't want to sound like an ass," remarked Kinh, "But a sub doesn't have much room inside… we're already pretty cramped inside. We'll be rather limited with how many survivors we can carry."

"Well, unless you'd like to be tailing a cruiser, or a carrier, or possibly even that destroyer, we're going to need you to be part of the rescue effort. If we put all of the survivors on one ship that just increases the chances of an even bigger disaster. I don't need you to take many, just some." Danielle ran her fingers through her hair prior to looking at Kinh. "Oh, and we might need to borrow like five torpedoes."

Kinh sighed and lowered his head in defeat.

"I don't like it but you have a point."

"Well, it's a good thing you don't have to like it then. You might as well embrace the suck, because it's gonna get worse before it gets better." Danielle giggled before taking a drink of coffee.

"Uh… guys?" Squeaked Savannah with a scared twinge in her voice. "I found out what was on those liberty ships… and you're not gonna like it."

Within seconds the computer had been pulled out of the Technical Officer's hands by Danielle, who heavily criticised it before pinching the bridge of her nose. "Well fuck me seven ways to Sunday. Here I was thinking that this shit might just be easy. I redact my previous statement, this fucking sucks."

"Ahh merde," groaned Kinh and Al before the captain started talking again, "Lemme guess, a crapton of ammo and fuel?"

"Enough shells to last a few months if they decided to bombard some place. No fuel, but they were fully filled when we left Saipan. Half of one of those ships was nothing but torpedoes and depth charges. The other half of the same ship was aircraft bombs and aerial torpedoes. Adding the final 'fuck you' to the mix is the fact that one of those ships was transporting foreign exchange students back to Japan. Pilots to be exact."

"Tabarnak," muttered Al, "Just what we needed."

"Yeah, no kidding… is it just me, or does this seem a little too… _organised_? I mean, look at the big picture. All of the Japanese heavy-hitters, our only cruiser, and the ships that just _happen_ to have all the ammunition for the Jap ships fall to this virus. This is sounding more like an attack than a virus run amok."

"Don't forget the fucking pilots…" groaned Kinh before banging his head on the table. "Tabarnak, fucking shit, calisse. I want some fucking sleep."

Everyone glanced around at each other before Savannah laid a hand on Danielle's shoulder. "I think it's just you… tonight I'm relieving you of duty so you can get some sleep. It's been a trying night, and we've already been lacking in the sleep department."

Her Canadian counterpart was rubbing his chin and muttering to himself.

 _'It's almost a perfect coincidence… maybe she has a point.'_

The American Captain drained her fourth cup of coffee and set the mug down on the table prior to rubbing her eyes. "I'm not gonna argue with sleep. I'll make it up to you when we get to Japan."

"How many hours of sleep have you had in the last three days? I know you've been giving yourself longer watches so the rest of us can sleep."

The ginger held out two closed fists and lifted a finger with every hour listed. "One… two, three… I think that's it. Maybe four if you tally up all the five-minute naps I've gotten to take."

"That's _not_ healthy." Olson started, only for the American to close her eyes and rest her head on her forearms.

"I'm well aware sir. However, it's in the interest of having a fresh crew who aren't dead on their feet." Opening one bloodshot eye she looked to Kinh. "So, whatd'ya say about those torpedoes? Think you can hook us up?"

"Hmm, I think we can give you five. How's that sound?" proposed the Canadian, "It'll clear up some room for the survivors."

"That's plenty. We used all our torpedoes when we ran from the Myōkō, and I want to have some just in case we run into another cruiser."

"Right, I'll get this show on the road once we're back on the Rainbow."

"Then… I guess I'll get in touch with the other destroyers in the area and start planning a rescue effort- err… with your permission Captain."

"Relax. I'm tired of the formalities. Just get it done." The American captain grumbled sleepily to her Secretary, so quickly swept up the computer and left.

"Can we get your radio frequency?" asked Kinh quickly, "If anything comes up, we'll be able to have an idea of what's on going on quickly."

"Yeah. The destroyers were all on… um… frequency one-twelve-point-six… _I think_. I know it's one-twelve point something. I know my instructor would chew my ass for not being certain."

"I'd probably do the same." Olson chortled. "I'd recommend writing the important things down in a small notepad, but make sure you keep the notepad with you."

"I'll keep it in mind. Now let's get everything taken care of topside before I pass out." Danielle yawned. The ginger stood unsteadily and motioned for the others to follow her while she made her way towards the door to the Galley.

"Hey Steven! Grab four packages of Hi-Rev and bring 'em here!" She yelled upon entering. A cook with messy hair under a hair net stopped dicing potatoes and disappeared into a storeroom for a few seconds. Upon emerging he had four cans of coffee in his arms, which he handed to Danielle before resuming cutting potatoes.

"Here you go gentlemen, four cans of the most caffeine-loaded coffee we have aboard. Consider it a gift."

The submariners grinned.

"Oh yeah baby!" exclaimed Kinh as he grabbed 2 of the cans as he stood up. Al grabbed the other two and groaned at his captain's answer. "The boys'll appreciate this." said Al with a grin.

 _'Drop the coffee off with the cook and then… SLEEP! GLORIOUS SLEEP!,'_ thought the Captain with a smile.

"I'll show you guys to the deck and-"

 _{General Quarters! General Quarters! Unresponsive aircraft formations inbound! All hands man your battlestations! This is not a drill! General Quarters!}_

"Are you fucking kidding me tabarnak?!" shouted Kinh. He was surprised he had enough energy for yelling.

"Well, I was gonna say that I could take a nap, but there goes that idea. Follow me, quickly."

"Bien reçu! Let's go boys!"

The sound of running feet was soon heard as the various sailors ran outside of the mess hall, the Canadians holding dearly on their coffee pots. In the hallways, the crew of the Meredith sprang into action.

* * *

 **Aboard USS Meredith DD-726**

 **0712, September 21st**

 **Status: General Quarters, under air attack from carrier-borne aircraft.**

 **Location: 24.5462, 141.1572**

"Godspeed to you! We'll keep in touch!" I yell to the Canadian submariners as they climb down into the conning tower of the Rainbow. A hasty salute from the instructor is all I see before I sprint across the deck and take the gantry two steps at a time.

All around me 20mm Oerlikon's, 40mm Bofors, and dual-purpose 5-inch guns blaze into the sky, seemingly without aim as planes swarm overhead.

I run into the bridge and start doing my best to restore order. "Savannah! Have radio get the Monterey on the horn! We need fighter cover if they're close enough! Justin get those five-inch guns to cease fire until they have an actual target! Samuel get this boat moving, ahead full!"

The responses all come back in a jumble. "Aye Cap'n!" "Yes ma'am!" "Ahead full, aye!"

I grab the protective vest and throw it on before pulling off my captain's cap and replacing it with a helmet. A minute later the intercom squeals to life as planes can be heard above

 _{Bridge, Radio. Johnston is twenty miles out! Basilone volunteered to escort the convoy, but they've taken damage, and once they anchor they'll be out of the action for a while so they can conduct repairs!}_

I start towards the intercom before an ear-splitting whistle can be heard above.

"Hard to port!" I yell at Samuel before I hear and see the 5-inch guns open up again, belching sheets of flame skyward.

 _{Grace's diving from above! Bombs incoming!}_ someone shouts over the handheld just before the first bomb hits the water to our starboard side, sending a column of water skyward that towers over the ship. The near-miss throws the ship to the side, sending most of us to the floor as more bombs bracket the ship,

"Damage report!" I yell, hauling myself to my feet.

"No direct hits, but the sensors are indicating flooding in starboard void six!" Savannah responds, holding her tablet while pulling herself up.

"Make sure that the cap is sealed, we can't have that spreading!"

"Damage control team one to void cap six!"

 _{Team one on the way!}_

 _{Bridge, Radio! Monterey says they're too far away to send any planes!}_

"Bullshit! They can't be too far away, Johnston was just with them!"

 _{...Would you like me to relay that?}_

"Yes. Tell them to get off their lazy asses and send planes our way before we end up an oil slick on the water!"

 _{Roger that bridge! Radio out!}_

I manage to get across the wheelhouse before the earsplitting scream of bombs rings out again.

"Reverse course! Hard to starboard!" I yell, grabbing hold of the nearest bolted-down object, which happens to be the radar repeater.

"Hard to starboard. Aye!" Samuel echoes while turning the helm.

The ship starts to tilt the other way as our course reverses, and everyone compensates by leaning the other way until a blast by our stern causes the ship to lurch forward, sending my helmeted head into one of the front windows of the bridge, giving me a headache and thoroughly pissing me off.

"Damage report!"

"No flooding! It wasn't a direct hit!" Savannah calls out.

"The wheel won't turn anymore!" Samuel groans out, trying to turn the ship's wheel.

"The rudders must be jammed, if they're still there that is." Emily concludes.

"Well, given that we're still turning I'd say that they're still there." Justin snarks before going back to directing the guns.

"Stow the banter! Ahead slow! Vary our speed!" I yell. "Savannah, get me a readout on any carriers bound for Japan that can launch Grace bombers!"

"Working on it!"

"What's the plan Captain?" Allison asks from the intercom.

"We've gotta keep avoiding everything until the fighters can get here. With our rudders jammed there isn't anything else we _can_ do. Anyone who isn't in damage control, radio, or the engine rooms should be manning a gun."

"There aren't enough guns to go around even if we put three to a gun." Allison reminds me.

"Uh… then just… I don't know, have them prepare ammo... or something." I pinch the bridge of my nose, then start rubbing my tired, aching eyes.

 _{Bridge, Radio. Monterey reports that they've finished launching fighters. ETA is fifteen minutes.}_

"Fifteen minutes isn't fast enough!" Allison yells into the intercom.

 _{There's a flight of four hellcats inbound that have been rerouted from Combat Air Patrol. ETA is five minutes!}_

"Thank you for the heads-up, bridge out!"

Outside the wheelhouse the sound of the anti-aircraft guns firing tapers off, though the five-inch guns still belch sheets of flame skyward at the withdrawing aircraft.

"A-are they gone?" Emily stutters, looking out at the sky through a pair of binoculars.

"No, that was just the first wave. They'll be back." Allison sighs.

"I got it! There's only two aircraft carriers capable of launching the Grace that have been sent to Japan, the first one is far to the north of us, but Taihō was part of a convoy bound for Nagasaki that came through here several days ago! It dropped out of the convoy and the escorts lost contact with it!" Savannah cheers, turning her tablet around to show me.

"How many planes can it carry?" I ask.

"Sixty-five, but only fifty-three can be launched at a time. The other twelve are held in reserve. In the last attack there were twenty-five aircraft, all of which were torpedo bombers. Meaning we should be relatively safe for a while."

"Slow us down, get a camera over the side and look at the damage. Have radio get me an ETA on Johnston." I order, stifling a yawn after I'm done giving orders.

Serena bounds out of the wheelhouse while Allison relays my request to the radio room. Despite the calm seas I stumble, but catch myself on the compass platform.

"You alright Dani?" Savannah asks, using her nickname for me.

"Yeah... I'm fine. Just need more coffee."

"What you need is sleep. ETA on Johnston is ten minutes. We should have them on radar soon." Allison snaps, hanging up the intercom phone.

 _{Bridge, Radar! Twenty contacts inbound from the west! Three thousand for eight miles! They just popped up!}_

"Here we go again." Justin groans.

"These are probably fighters." Savannah warns. "They can't carry any bombs if they're the Sam's, but if they're Zeke's then we might have problems."

"Five-inch guns firing." Justin warns before giving the guns the order to fire. Due to the low altitude of the inbound planes the guns fire almost horizontally, giving the direction for all the other guns on the ship to point at when the rounds air-burst at five miles.

"Ahead full." I order, watching the black dots in the distance.

"Ahead full, aye."

With our rudders jammed at eighteen degrees the speed changes are the only way of changing our turning circle, and I intend on bringing everything to bear on the fighters.

"They're scattering. This isn't going to be easy, keeping them all off of us." Emily reports while watching the planes through a pair of binoculars.

"It _never_ is easy repelling planes." I yawn back, feeling my lack of sleep despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

"Here they come…" Justin mumbles, making sure the straps on his vest are tight.

The silence of the 40mm Bofors guns unnerves me, and I momentarily wonder if they're paying attention before both the Bofors and Oerlikons open fire at the same time with the salvo from the five-inch guns signalling the start. The sudden fire from the guns makes a wall of tracers and flak bursts that would make any reasonable person break off the attack. That's where the severity of the virus strikes home, because none of the fighters vary from their courses. Some continue to encircle us while others streak in, angling for strafing runs.

"Have all non-essential personnel get belowdecks. _Now_." I snap, securing the chin strap on my helmet for the first time in our voyage.

The order is broadcast over the PA system, and a minute later the planes are on us, raking the deck with live ammunition.

"All personnel inside! Report to the command center for automated control!" I yell into the PA system right before the glass on the bridge shatters. Everyone drops to the floor as practiced, and though I do the same an impact on my left side knocks the wind out of me. I grab at my side and breathlessly rejoice when I feel that the vest caught the round.

"Everyone good?!" Allison yells, standing up once the fighters responsible pass overhead.

Still trying to regain the ability to breathe I pound on the floor with a closed fist, pushing myself up onto my hands and knees.

"Dani?! You okay?!" Savannah yells, rushing to my side. I give her a thumbs up and use her to haul myself to my feet. I take a deep breath and almost instantly regret it when the pain in my side flares up, threatening to put me on the ground again before there's a pop and I can breathe better. "Good…!" I squeak. She starts fussing over me like my mother before I stubbornly push her away, holding myself up with the radar repeater.

 _{Bridge, Radar! We have Johnston on the scope! Four more planes are flying in from the same direction!}_

Another deep breath and there's a second pop in my back, then I can suddenly breathe at normal capacity again. " _Motherfucker_ that hurt!" I groan, gasping for air.

 _{Bridge, Radio! The four hellcats are here! The lead pilot is asking to speak with the captain!}_

I release the radar repeater and stumble my way across the bridge, still holding my throbbing side pointlessly when I grab the ship's phone. "Captain Schumer of the Meredith here."

 _{Hey there Sis', I think you owe me for saving your asses. Have your guns cease fire, we're coming in to chase these buggers off.}_

"Yeah sure, whatever. I'll pay you back once this is over. Be careful."

{Always.}

I hang up the phone and turn to Justin. "All guns cease fire. It's our fighter's turn to give 'em hell."

Justin turns to the communications. "Cease fire! All guns, cease fire!"

The effect is almost instantaneous, none of the guns fire anymore, and the sound of planes overhead is the only thing that keeps the silence at bay. I turn to Samuel and grab at my side when the pain flares up again. "All stop."

"All stop, aye."

I start to walk to the bulkhead, but pause by Allison. "You have command, I'm gonna go get my ribs checked out."

"Aye. Go ahead and get some sleep while you're at it."

I continue trudging along and flash a thumbs-up over my shoulder before giving my brother a 'V for victory' as he flies past, then descending the ladder to the splintered deck, where people ferry more ammunition to each anti-aircraft gun in preparation for another attack. I move through the radio room and down the stairs into the belowdecks, following the path to the infirmary, where there's a small line of people getting treated for cuts and splinters.

"Welcome Captain, I take it you got hit?" The ship's nurse asks, helping me take off the protective vest.

"Yeah, I took a twenty. Vest caught it though. My ribs hurt like hell."

"You probably cracked a rib or two. This is gonna hurt, but I'm gonna need you to breathe deep."

She places a stethoscope against my back, and I do my best to breathe deep, ignoring the throbbing pain that accompanies the action. After a dozen or so deep breaths she takes the device off my back and starts gently prodding at my side with her fingers. The second she pushes in on the spot I suck in air through my teeth, holding the breath while she continues to prod around for a bit.

"Alright. I don't think anything's broken, but you're gonna have one hell of a bruise. I also note that you're suffering from some signs of exhaustion. How much sleep have you gotten in the last twenty-four hours?"

"Probably… hour and a quarter if I had to guess."

The nurse scowls at me before poking me in the collarbone, then pointing at the door. "You. Bed. _Now_."

I give a slow salute as I rise. When the ship's nurse gives you an order it doesn't matter if you're of higher rank, you listen to them. "Yes ma'am."

She scribbles down on a notepad and tears the page out, then hands it to me. "Good, now move it."

* * *

 **HMCS Rainbow**

 **0712, September 21st**

 **Status: Emergency Dive**

 **Location: 24.5462, 141.1572**

As soon as the conning tower hatch was closed, a single order rang clearly through the Rainbow.

"Submerge 20m! Enemy air attack!"

Alarms and klaxons rang throughout the Rainbow as her crew was getting out of bed with haste. The boat was rocking as the wash of the Meredith hit her. Barely throwing on their shirts, many crewmen who were sleeping were still wearing their pajamas pants as they sprang into action. Swearing was heard as some, barely awake, ran into tables and other objects left haphazardly on the sub's floor.

Amid this chaos, Kinh, Al and Olson had gotten down from the top of the conning tower and into the control room where Oliver was managing things. Somehow, they had managed to hang on to the coffee pots.

"What's going on top-side sir?" the first mate asked with worry in his voice. "We heard alarms from the Meredith."

"Air attack and it's not a drill." replied Kinh. Another crewman reported that they had reached periscope depth when a shockwave hit the Rainbow.

"What the hell was that!?" cried out Oliver, "Another depth charge?"

"No, that was a bomb." stated Olson, "The impact wasn't as strong."

Sighs of relief were let out by the crew who overheard this.

"Periscope depth!" shouted Kinh. The sub leaned backwards as it progressively headed to a shallower depth. After a few moments, it leveled itself out as the crew operated the complex controls.

Kinh had moved over to the periscope and was looking at the surface. He saw the Meredith hold her own against waves of enemy aircraft.

"What the? Oh shit, their rudders are kaput," realized Kinh in fear as he saw the ship move in a circle. "Tabarnak… tabarnak. They're sitting ducks up there."

 _'And there's nothing we can do dammit!'_

The sound of an anxious foot tapping mixed itself with the noise of a submarine crew's activities

Luckily, the planes break off as soon they ran out of bombs. The reprieve was brief as the Meredith's guns fire off again. This time however, the intruders come in lower and began strafing the destroyer.

The gun flashes from the main turrets ceased all of a sudden.

"Fuck!" shouted Kinh, "The Meredith's lost power!"

The crew behind him blanched as they digested the new information.

"Dammit," Oliver swore, "There's no way we can get everyone from that ship on board even if we wanted to!"

The first mate had his fists clenched while he tried to figure a solution.

"The best thing we can do is surface and signal for help once this is done," suggested calmly Olson, "As well as getting the more badly wounded people aboard."

Oliver seemed to calm down before grabbing the intercom.

"Medical personnel prepare for casualties!" he ordered before receiving his answer.

"Understood!" was the reply. It had a grim, determined tone to it.

A sudden shout from the periscope rang out with enough might to cause everyone's head to turn around.

"FUCK YEAH! HAHA!"

As every crewmember looked at the source, they saw Kinh grinning madly with a few tears of joy. "Eat that bitches!"

Oliver was the first to ask.

"Sir?"

"Friendly Hellcats. And take a look at this!" Kinh exclaimed as he pulled away from the periscope. He grabbed Oliver and almost gave his first mate a black eye as he pressed him to the eyepiece.

"Sir, could you try not to injure your First Mate!?" Oliver exclaimed in annoyance.

"Just shut up and look goddammit!" ordered Kinh. Oliver scowled in irritation but his irritation was soon replaced by elation. A hopeful smile appeared on his face as he saw the scene before him.

On the Meredith, a lone woman stood on the gantry, her hand doing an all too familiar sign, the V for Victory. Overhead, Hellcats flew proudly through the heavens like guardian angels driving off demons.

 _'We might just make it out alive,'_ Oliver thought.

"Get us topside gentlemen!" exclaimed Kinh, "We're gonna help them out a bit and got some rest as well."

The tension in the sub seemed to go down.

* * *

 **USS Meredith DD-726**

 **1931 hours, September 21st**

 **Status: finishing repairs**

 **Location: 24.5462, 141.1572**

"Captain, wake up. We've got problems."

I'm rousted by Allison, who holds several sheets of paper in her hand.

"What now?" I groan, easing myself into a sitting position.

"Convoy NGSK124 from San Francisco has reported that several of their Japanese ships have fired upon the convoy. Taihō was from that convoy, and as it is now all the infected ships seem to be converging on Iwo Jima. We need to act soon if we want to mount a rescue effort."

"Fuckin' lovely. What ships from that convoy are infected?"

"The heavy cruisers Maya, Atago, and Nachi. Light cruiser Ōyodo, and… the battleship… Mutsu."

I flinch at the battleship being listed, and turn slowly to face the deputy-chief. "... Are you fucking kidding me? Like, _the_ Mutsu?"

"It would appear so. The light cruisers CL-89 Miami and CL-67 Topeka were both crippled, along with the battleship BB-60 Alabama. The cruisers Santa Fe CL-60, Portland CA-33, and Toledo CA-133 have been sent to assist us with the rescue effort."

"Well at least there's some good news. When will we rendezvous?" I ask, rubbing my eyes.

"We already have. Everyone is ready to set sail as soon as we finish getting the rudders unjammed."

"Oh, alright. Anything else?" I grunt while standing up.

"The Portland managed to get in contact with the Blue Mermaids. They're mustering, and they'll be in the area to take over tomorrow evening at the earliest. Yokosuka is also sending ships to assist. They should arrive some time tonight. The Rainbow gave us five torpedoes after the sky was cleared."

"More good news is just what I needed. I'll be topside in five minutes."

Allison salutes before leaving my quarters, closing the door behind her.

The prospect of getting changed is a painful one. My side is swollen, and a large portion of it is discolored from bruising. Each movement is prominently protested with aching, but I need to look presentable, so I push through the pain and manage to get myself dressed, though it takes twice as long as usual.

When I eventually get up to the deck I find that the fore torpedo launcher has been replenished, and I can see in the distance a cruiser, most likely the USS Portland judging from the silhouette. I make my way to the fantail first, where multiple people are gathered, some in wetsuits and removing SCUBA gear while others start to put up equipment.

"Rudders are unjammed Captain!" A wetsuit-clad Serena cheers when she sees me.

"Perfect. We need to get underway as soon as possible." I respond, giving the torpedo officer a thumbs-up. I turn and start to make my way up to the wheelhouse, moving slow as to not agitate my ribs. Eventually I manage to get up there, to find that the glass has been replaced in the windows, and most of the officers are gathered behind Savannah, who is showing them something on her computer.

"If we have the cruisers come in from the north they can act as a distraction and draw any ships away from the island, but that takes time, which is one thing we don't have." Allison points out. I've obviously missed the initial briefing, so I trust her judgement.

"We'll be going in as a fleet. The cruisers will keep the enemy cruisers busy while the Rainbow, Johnston, and us go in to pick up the survivors. Laffey will lay a smoke screen to ensure the enemy ships cannot fire on us." I cut in before anyone else can say anything. "We approach at night, and with any luck we'll be able to rescue everyone without having to fire a shot."

"It sounds like an okay plan Captain… but I'm pretty sure all of us will agree, it's not a good idea to rely on luck." Savannah counters, straightening up from the laptop.

"And that's why we're not relying on luck, we're relying on skill here. Relay my plan to the other ships. Helmsman, ahead slow, bring us around. Emily, get Samuel a bearing for Iwo Jima."

Everyone jumps into action, Allison moves to the intercom and relays the message to the radio room while Emily talks to the people in the chart room. Samuel sends the speed order to the engine rooms while Savannah approaches me.

"I'm going to schedule an X-ray for you as soon as we can get in contact with Japan. You took a twenty millimeter shell, so there's bound to be at least one broken bone."

"No Savannah, I'll be fine." I argue, but she grabs my shoulder and stares into my eyes.

"I'm not budging on this. I'll have the engineers haul you out duct-taped to a door if I have to."

"... Alright, fine."

"Oh, also the captain of the Rainbow wanted me to let you know that they went ahead to conduct reconnaissance."

I grunt to acknowledge I heard and start towards the coffee maker in the rear of the wheelhouse. "How much of a head start do they have?"

"Four hours. Last transmission we received they were submerging to start scoping out the area."

"Good forethought on his part. let's get this show on the road. We've got people to save."

* * *

 **Naval and aircraft terminology used:**

 **E.O.T - Engine Order Telegram.**

 **'Grace' - reporting name for the Aichi B7A 'Ryusei' torpedo/dive bomber.**

 **'Sam' - reporting name for the Mitsubishi A7M 'Reppu' fighter.**

 **'Zeke' - reporting name for the Mitsubishi A6M fighter.**

 **Port - left**

 **Starboard - right**

 **Hellcat - Grumman F6F-3 Naval fighter.**

 **Mess - dining area**

 **Galley - kitchen**


	3. Chapter 3: Mayday, Mayday, Mayday

**A/N: Here's chapter three for those of you who enjoy this fic, wherever you are...**

 **Anyway, if you want to see a fourth chapter please give us some sort of feedback, because I'm debating giving up on this fic.**

 **As always this is a cooperative fic with Goodalwayswins98, he writes the Canadian perspective, I write the American perspective, check him out. Blah, blah, blah,**

 **ON WITH THE FIC**

* * *

 **HMCS Rainbow, SS-75**

 **2300 hours, September 21st**

 **Status: Submerged at Periscope depth**

 **Location: 24.7763, 141.2198**

Carefully scrutinizing the horizon ahead of him, Al turned the Rainbow's periscope. Deep concentration was written over his face as he searched for anything unusual. The past hours had been well spent recuperating from the past day's events as well as aiding the Meredith's crew despite the Rainbow's much smaller pool of supplies. It was the least they could do… that and removing 5 torpedoes cleared up some room inside the cramped boat.

The quiet sweep was interrupted by a report from the sonar operator.

"Multiple high-speed screws! Bearing two-six-five!"

Al quickly turned the periscope towards the direction indicated by his colleague. Carefully scrutinizing the horizon, he picked up the outlines of large ships. They were cruising at the same speed towards the same heading.

"Kinh, we've got multiple contacts!" he shouted, "Heading two-six-five!"

The familiar of running was heard as the captain made his way to the control room. By now, Kinh had gotten a fresher set of clothes than he was wearing earlier though he still had the same dirty cap. He looked refreshed after a few hours of rest.

"Heading two-six-five right?" he asked as he made his way to the navigator's station where Thomas Ridgeway stood.

"Aye," answered the dark haired boy as he deduced their trajectory, "Judging by that heading, they must be the rescue force."

"Al, any sign of them changing their heading?"

The watch officer took another look through the periscope.

"Belay that! The smaller ships are turning our way and the bigger ones are maintaining their course northwards!"

Kinh's mind raced back to the earlier encounter he had with the Japanese destroyer. He briefly shuddered. That was not a pleasant experience.

"Any sign of them using sonar?" he shouted with a hint of fear towards the sonar room.

Al, eye still on the periscope gave his answer before the sonar operator could.

"At that speed, they're not gonna hear anything. This is the real thing."

Another answer came from the sonar room.

"Watch officer's right! No sonar pings at all either."

Kinh closed his eyes in relief and sighed.

"Take us to the surface!" he ordered with a smile, "Let's give them a hand!"

"Aye sir!" was the enthusiastic response.

* * *

 **USS Meredith DD-726**

 **2300 hours, September 21st**

 **Status: Cruising towards Iwo Jima with DD-557, DD-724, CL-60, CA-33, CA-133**

 **Location: 24.7755, 141.1129**

"Relay the order. Cruisers north at full speed to head off that heavy cruiser. Destroyers are beginning our charge to the island to pick up the survivors." I order in the dim red light that envelops the bridge.

"Aye." Allison responds, heading towards the intercom.

"Ahead full, twenty degrees, hard right rudder."

The EOT rings out and I can make out Samuel cranking the wheel around before the ship starts to turn sharply towards the island.

"General Quarters, prepare for rescue operations and possibly surface warfare."

Allison finishes relaying the orders to the radio room and relinquishes the intercom to Savannah, who pulls the Bosun's whistle out of her shirt pocket and holds it up to her mouth, blowing a low note followed immediately after by a high note. "General Quarters! General Quarters! All hands prepare for battle! Medical personnel prepare to receive survivors! This is not a drill!"

As soon as she's done with the intercom Savannah flips the switch for the general alarm, starting that loud klaxon throughout the ship. Everyone on the bridge starts donning protective gear -myself included- and down on deck I can barely make out people running to their stations.

"Laffey is accelerating ahead to begin laying smoke." Allison reports, looking out the starboard window as the other _Allen M. Sumner_ -class destroyer sails past us.

Sure enough the Laffey starts belching black smoke from her smokestacks as she pulls out in front of us, and once they reach a designated distance from the beach they start moving the ship up and down the coastline, blanketing the area in smoke.

After roughly the second pass by the Laffey there's a sudden and outstanding thundering to the north as the cruisers open fire at Kumano, which was spotted by one of the floatplanes belonging to Toledo a couple hours ago before the Kingfisher had to beat a hasty retreat.

I'm just starting to wonder where the Rainbow is when the sub slowly rises out of the water off our starboard bow, already in the perfect position to start taking survivors.

"Get me a flashing signal aimed at the beach. Just say 'taxi'."

"On it." Savannah responds before going to work talking on the handheld radio. The message is relayed as we pull up parallel to the beach and hang cargo nets off the starboard side, and roughly a minute later I can make out the shape of people carrying life rafts down to the water. As soon as the inflatable boats are in the water more people run down to the water and pile in, some carrying people or helping others walk.

Three of the dozen or so boats head towards the Rainbow while the others take a split between us and the Johnston, with less boats coming towards us. I watch nervously as the boats are frantically rowed out to us, and when they finally reach us I hear what I was afraid would happen.

 _{Captain! They say there's more people waiting on the beach!}_

"Goddamn it- Samuel! Get us in closer! Run this thing aground if you have to!" I yell, pointing at the island for emphasis.

"Aye Captain!"

While we start to get closer to the beach I can tell everyone's on edge. The air inside the wheelhouse is so tense you could almost cut it with a knife, until Savannah breaks it.

"Does this remind anyone of anything?"

Justin grunts in acknowledgement but doesn't say anything. Emily is the one to actually say something.

"Yeah, Dunkirk."

"Hush! We do not speak of that disaster! Especially not right now!" I yell, glaring at Emily.

"But-"

"No! If you jynx us so help me God!"

"She's got a point Em, just leave it." Serena backs me up, hopefully sharing my superstitions.

I cross the wheelhouse to the intercom and press in the selector for Sonar. "Sonar, Bridge. Get us the depth under our keel please."

 _{Roger that Bridge. One moment… Depth under keel is approximately two-five feet.}_

"Thank you Sonar, Bridge out."

Another thirty seconds of creeping up on the beach and the hair on the back of my neck stands up.

"All stop."

"All stop, aye."

My plan works more or less how I planned it. Due to our slow speed when we run aground it's not very severe, and it allows us to take on passengers while giving them the shortest swim possible. However, the entire ship takes on a three degree list to starboard, making it slightly difficult to walk around.

The next few minutes are more tense than a guitar string. Further to the north the cruisers can be seen duking it out, and the fire on the fantail of the Santa Fe makes it apparent that things aren't going entirely our way.

 _{Bridge, Lookout. We've finished receiving our complement of survivors.}_

Allison walks over to the radio hanging on the wall and grabs it. "Excellent. Have non-essential personnel go belowdecks. Bridge out."

"Back Emergency, let's get out of here before something happens."

"Back Emergency, aye!"

 _{Bridge, Radio. The Rainbow has taken on their survivors and is leaving the area. They'll rendezvous with us at Yokosuka. The Johnston is loading the last of the injured students and they'll be escaping to the southwest.}_

This time I take the intercom. "Copy that Radio. Can you get me a SITREP from the cruisers?"

 _{Affirmative Bridge. Wait one.}_

…

 _{Bridge, Radio. The cruisers are having troubles. Santa Fe has a fire burning on their fantail. Toledo took a torpedo, but they've stopped the flooding and are still combat-capable. Portland had one of her eight-inch gun turrets knocked out. Additionally, there is a destroyer inbound from the direction of Japan. Range is thirty-four miles.}_

"Copy that. Have Laffey go help them. Hail that destroyer too, we need to know if it's friendly."

 _{Wilco Bridge. Radio out.}_

As the Laffey heads north to assist the cruisers with a smoke screen I start to feel nature's call, and approach Allison.

"Cover for me for a few minutes, I need to hit the head."

"Alright, but make it quick."

I give a quick nod and rush out the wheelhouse, nearly jumping down the entire staircase before my ribs start hurting, and I'm forced to slow down before I enter the ladies room at the base of the conning tower.

With business taken care of I make my way back up to the bridge, wary of my agitated ribs while I scale the stairwell.

The first thing I hear when I get back up to the bridge is the intercom.

 _{Bridge, Gun Director! There's a ship to our port side! It looks like it might be the Myōkō again!}_

Due to their elevated position, as we start to clear the southern point of Ioto and come out from behind Mount Suribachi the people in the gun director manage to see the ship before any of us can.

"Ahead flank! Hard to starboard, twenty degrees!" I yell, slightly out of breath.

"Ahead flank, hard to starboard!" Samuel echoes while cranking the wheel over.

"Serena, I want our torpedoes fired at that cruiser!"

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Justin, let's try to take out their torpedo launchers!"

"On it!"

As the fore turrets turn to bear on what I can now see is indeed a heavy cruiser a mere two miles away from us I watch through my binoculars as the five turrets on the cruiser slowly turn to bear on us.

Then, a flash along the amidships brings my attention to yet another threat: Secondary guns.

 _{Incoming!}_ Someone yells over the handheld as the five-inch rounds shriek in.

The ship shudders as at least one shell strikes the ship, and after a small stumble I look to Serena. "Don't worry about precision, just get the damn fish in the water!" After receiving a nod from her I look to Savannah. "Damage report!"

"No flooding, no fire!"

 _{Gun mount three just took a direct hit! It's gone, but nobody was manning it!}_

 _{The radio room is a mess but everyone is fine! They're moving to the emergency radio room!}_

 _{Everything Fore of the smokestacks is fine!}_

While the reports come in I breathe out a sigh of relief. Then, the cruiser's main guns get on us.

 _{Incoming! Main Battery!}_ The same person yells over the handheld as the broadside of Myōkō lights up in giant sheets of flame.

 _{All torpedoes away!}_

The time between the guns of the cruiser firing and the impact is a matter of a few seconds. The entire ship is thrown violently to the starboard side as the shells impact, everyone in the bridge is thrown to the floor, and as we start to get up a call comes through the intercom.

 _{Bridge! Aft engine room! We've got flooding down here! I give it about five minutes before the pumps give out!}_

 _{Fore engine room had a boiler take a direct hit, it's fucked!}_

"Savannah, damage report!"

"Flooding in both engine rooms! The fresh water tank has been punctured, we're leaking fuel-oil, and there's a fire in the amidships storeroom!"

"Get damage control to the engine room and that fire!"

"On it!"

 _{Incoming!}_

Just as Savannah grabs the handheld to start issuing orders the ship is shaken again, and a report comes in from a lookout.

 _{The Brooklyn is behind the Myōkō! The gun director took a direct hit!}_

Allison's eyes widen at the news of a second cruiser, and I start out the starboard bulkhead, climbing the ladder up to the smoking gun director.

I manage to get the door open, and yell into the smoke-filled gun director. "Everyone okay!? Crawl towards my voice!"

One by one the four people emerge unscathed while pushing the inflated safety system out of the way, and I make sure they're all down the ladder before I descend, heading back into the bridge.

"Start laying smoke! Samuel get us a course straight away from those damn cru-"

 _{TORPEDO!}_

The transmission barely ends before it feels like the entire ship just got drop-kicked by a giant. The bow is lifted up out of the water, and all of us in the bridge once again go flying. My feet fly out from underneath me and I land hard on my stomach, knocking the wind out of me.

While I try to breathe I haul myself shakily to my feet using the nearby Radar Repeater, and Savannah gasps when she gets up.

"The bow is gone!"

I suck in air repeatedly until I can safely stand and find the the bow forward from the gun has been completely sheared off.

"Captain we can't withstand this sort of punishment!" Allison yells.

 _{Bridge! Aft engine room! I was right, the pumps just flooded!}_

 _'Can't get a break, and we just lost like half our speed… we'll be sitting ducks!'_

"Alright. I didn't want to do this, but…" I take a deep breath the steady myself and look around at everyone. "All hands, abandon ship! This boat is going down without us!"

Allison seems to hesitate before grabbing the telephone for the PA system. "All hands, abandon ship! Abandon ship! Everyone over the starboard side and swim away from the hostile ships! Deploy lifeboats and abandon ship!"

Once she's done transmitting I look over everyone in the bridge and sigh. "Sorry everyone, guess I wasn't cut out to be a captain after all."

"Bullshit. You were a great captain. There wasn't much we could do in this situation." Allison argues, taking off her protective vest to replace it with a life jacket.

"...Thanks. Alright, everyone out. Get going."

"But what about you?" Samuels asks, dropping his protective vest on the floor.

"I'll be the last person off the ship. Give my life jacket to someone who needs it more. I'm good at treading water."

"Danielle don't be a fucking hero!" Justin yells, thrusting a life jacket in my direction.

"I'm not being a hero! This is tradition! Now GO!" I yell back, pointing at the starboard bulkhead for emphasis.

I take off my helmet and place my cap atop my head. "I'm still captain of this ship, and I'm ordering you all to get the hell off."

They all hesitate before slowly filing out the bulkhead, leaving me alone in the red light of the wheelhouse. Outside the cruisers continue to bracket the ship, though since the chemical smoke generators have been activated their accuracy is somewhat diminished.

 _{Bridge, Both engine rooms have flooded! We've sealed them off and are heading topside to abandon ship. Godspeed!}_

At the back of the bridge sits a small short-band radio for communicating with civilian vessels or for sending out distress calls. I walk back to it and turn it on before tuning it to the local VHF band length for school ships.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is the USS Meredith DD-726 from Seattle naval academy. We are approximately eight miles to the southwest of Iwo Jima and we are sinking. Does anyone copy?"

I release the push-to-talk button and wait for a response. The silence from the radio is almost deafening, and just as I'm about to repeat the distress signal the radio speakers pop to life.

 _{This is Y-469 Harekaze from Yokosuka Girls High School. We are approaching from the northwest, and are coming to assist. We are currently twenty-five miles away making a speed of thirty-two knots. How severe is the damage?}_

"Both of our engine rooms have flooded. We're leaking fuel-oil and our bow was blown off by a torpedo. We're dead in the water and can't stop the flooding. I've already given the order to abandon ship."

A moment of silence ensues, during which the ship shudders from the impact of another shell and the lights flicker.

 _{This is the USS Laffey. We are also en-route to assist! Santa Fe and Toledo have fled and are outbound for Japan!}_

 _{USS Portland here! We are inbound at full speed to help distract the combatants!}_

 _{Harekaze will pick up survivors in the water if Laffey will lay a smoke screen.}_

I stand in awe and listen as the two other destroyers and the friendly cruiser quickly form a plan, but my gawking is quickly ended as another shell strikes the ship and the lights go out, plunging everything into darkness.

Frustrated, I leave the wheelhouse and start down the staircase, watching as people jump over the railing into the ink black water below. Some jump in tandem, helping the people whose injuries prevent them from swimming very well. Others round up the lifeboats and help the injured into them, tying the rigid rafts together with rope to form a circle. On the deck people hand out life jackets and survival rings in a spontaneous bout of teamwork between people who had only met a few minutes prior.

I remain standing on the staircase as the last of the people jump over the side, leaving me as the last person aboard.

"Sorry Meredith… I didn't do you justice. You were a good ship." I mutter while descending the steps to the deck.

Once on the deck I send a salute towards the flag on the mast and head to the railing, vaulting over and plunging into the water.

Upon surfacing I start to swim towards the nearest life raft, but the quick, forceful motions send jolts of pain racing through my ribs, and I'm forced to slow down my pace. Eventually a life ring is thrown my way from one of the life rafts, and the task of swimming is greatly simplified.

After we get everyone rounded up and start swimming away from the ship I resume my duties as captain.

"Role call! Departments sound off!"

"Gunnery all here!"

"Navigation all present!"

"Engineering all present!"

"Damage control has all members accounted for!"

"Galley crew here!"

"Medical all present!"

"Bridge crew all present!" Savannah yells from beside another life raft.

"All merchant mariners present and accounted for!"

Breathing a sigh of relief I pass the life ring to a person inside the life raft and grab onto the rope ringing the side. "Alright! We're going to swim to the north-west with the slowest raft setting the pace! Everybody make sure the person next to you is either holding onto or secured to a raft! Nobody separates from the rafts!"

A few acknowledgements ring out, and soon everyone capable enough is pushing the rafts along, trying our best to ignore the moaning, creaking, and groaning of the ship sinking behind us, though I'm sure all of us gave her a parting glance as she sank bow-first, the fantail ensign waving proudly before slipping beneath the water.

 _'Farewell, my friend…'_

* * *

 **HMCS Rainbow, SS-75**

 **2335 hours, September 21st**

 **Status: Loading injured and survivors from the Independence**

 **Location: 24.7546 141.2657**

"Get everyone on board!" shouted Kinh from the top of the conning tower. On the front deck of the Rainbow, her crewmen were pulling in lifeboats from the USS Independence and helping their occupants aboard the sub. Next to him, Al, Chris and Frank were keeping watch over the horizon.

From the north, the thunder of gunfire echoed as the cruisers dueled the supremacy over the sea.

He heard the familiar squeal of the intercom coming to life.

"Oliver here sir! The Americans are holding back the Kumano."

"Understood!" Kinh barked, "How are they holding out?!"

A brief pause.

"They're somehow holding despite the damage they took!"

"Right!"

Kinh allowed himself a small smile. Maybe they could get everyone on board in time and get out before it was too late.

A shout came from one of the crewmen helping the Independence's crew.

"We got everyone aboard!"

Kinh and Al high-fived each other.

"Yeah bro!" the watch officer exclaimed.

"We fucking did it!"

"Ahem!"

The Rainbow's crewmembers that were on the conning tower turned to the source of the sound. A scowling brunette woman in naval uniform looked at them. The boys realized that this was Instructor Gleaves from the Independence.

"Oh calisse guys!" Kinh swore before saluting. The rest of his fellows followed suit.

"Don't celebrate just yet! Keep that for when we arrive in Yokosuka!" exclaimed the woman in annoyance before returning the salute.

"Right!" Kinh answered nervously before he grabbed the intercom phone. "Oliver, tell Olson we've secured the Independence's crew and set course for Yokosuka!. Ma'am, I suggest you get inside immediately, Ol- I mean Instructor Olson wants a word with you."

Before the First Mate's answer could be heard, the sound of gunfire and explosions resounded nearby.

"Quessé ça tabarnak?!" shouted Al as he tried to figure what just happened, "Ostie!" (What the fuck was that?! Dammit!")

"Starboard side!" called out Frank, "Meredith's been fucking hit!"

To their horror, the Rainbow's watchmen and Captain saw through their binoculars that the destroyer was missing part of her superstructure.

"What the hell?!" Junior shouted, "Did they break through the cruisers?!"

A puff of white smoke rose from the Meredith's torpedo launchers as she began changing course to turn away from the threat.

 _'Crap… there's something south of us… a fucking big thing.'_ Kinh guessed. _'Just what we fucking needed.'_

He shook his head for a moment in disbelief before grabbing the intercom for yet another time that night.

 _'Why do I have a feeling it'll be a long night?'_

"Oliver! General advisement on the radio! Unknown contact to the south engaging the Meredith!" he ordered, "After that, get me a sitrep from Meredith!"

The first mate's reply didn't fail to come quickly. Despite this, seconds felt like hours for the captain. What else would be thrown at him and his dwindling allies?

"Message got out but no response from the Meredith sir!"

That was bad news since power could have been cut out and if that were the case…

"Calisse de tabarnak!" shouted Al as a pair of blasts lit up the destroyer and columns of water sprung skyward around her. "They've been hit bad!"

"Merde!"

Kinh took a deep breath as he took his next decision.

"Maintain current course! Flank speed!" he ordered into the intercom, "I want to see what the hell's going on over there."

Maintaining its course, the Rainbow dashed forward through the dark waters, trying to get past Iwo Jima's southern tip. The deck crew kept scanning for whatever had attacked their comrades.

"Dammit!" Junior yelled, "There's a cruiser behind the Meredith."

The three men turned their binoculars towards the ships.

"Mer-"

 _ **KABOOM**_

A large blast had just engulfed the Meredith's bow, shearing a sizable piece off and sending a column of water skywards as the ship was momentarily lifted out of the water.

"-DE!" Kinh finished shouting.

The next moments passed in a haze. Another shell hit the stricken destroyer. Oliver reported that Meredith's crew was abandoning ship. The other surface forces hatching a plan to save said crew. A dazed Kinh could hear his heartbeat in his ears.

 _'We're just a bunch of schoolchildren… why is this happening to us…'_

His confusion and horror froze him for a moment. The captain looked at his binoculars for a moment. Daring to raise his binoculars again, Kinh looked at the Meredith's escaping crews. His daze was soon replaced by red-hot fury. How many of them were badly injured or worse?

A snarl appeared on his face as he grabbed the intercom and set it for a general broadcast.

"Gentlemen of the HMCS Rainbow!" he snapped, "The USS Meredith has just been sunk and I intend to avenge her and her crew! Whoever just sank that destroyer is going to answer to the Rainbow's torpedoes. Mr. Olson and Mr. Chagnon! Prepare for live munitions usage! Ready all tubes for live munitions usage."

Below decks, the crew froze for a moment before resuming their duties. The stakes had just gotten higher. A determined Kinh slid down the conning tower ladder into the control room. Looking at Oliver, he ordered him to the top of the conning tower to acquire a target. There was no way that the responsibles would get away unscathed from this.

He then overheard Olson filling in Gleaves about the past 24 hours in the compartment forward of the control room.

"As you can see, Captain-Instructor Gleaves, the RATt infection seems to have reappeared."

Olson calmly explained.

"Indeed," replied the woman as she lowered her head to process the information, "What about the Monterey and her air wing? Where are they?"

"Safe in a Japanese Harbour." Olson answered flatly.

"What?! Whose decision was it to send her there?!" she asked. Anger and annoyance were clear on her face.

"I'm a submariner eh? We don't get to know why the carriers go where they go."

By now Kinh had arrived in the same compartment.

"Instructor Olson, I am enacting live munitions protocol." he stated grimly, "I judge the danger levels to be sufficient for protocol activation. Do I have the green light to proceed?"

Olson nodded before answering while Gleaves witnessed the scene unfurl.

"As instructor assigned to the HMCS Rainbow, I authorize you to enact live munitions protocol."

"Excellent."

The Canadians made their way forward through the cramped submarine. It had gotten worse with the additional people picked up earlier. After a few moments of careful movements, they had arrived at the torpedo room where Remi and the crew assigned were waiting for them. Going quickly through the verbal protocol, the three officers moved to special locations inside the torpedo room. Two red switches were located on the port and starboard sides while the third one lay in the center of the torpedo tubes. Remi was assigned to the port one while Olson was on the starboard. That left Kinh in the center. Taking a deep breath, he pulled a key from a chain around his neck before placing in the lock.

 _'Never thought it would come down to this,'_ Kinh mused as he and his fellows turned their keys. A simultaneous click was heard as plexiglas safety covers popped, revealing three arming switches that were then pulled down. A brief klaxon sounded indicating that the torpedoes were armed.

Grabbing the intercom, Kinh contacted Oliver.

"Mr. Archer and Mr. Gendreau… get us a target!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

 **Silent Hunter 2 - Win**

 _ **Play?**_

* * *

Scanning the horizon, Oliver tried furiously to find the hostile ships. He tried looking where he suspected the shots had been fired from. Sonar was useless as the noise from the sinking Meredith resonated through the water around her.

"Dammit," he muttered, "Where the fuck are those ships?"

Behind the starboard side of the Rainbow was the Meredith and her crew. Oliver didn't like leaving them to wait in the water but they were full with the survivors from the Independence. The least they could do was find the ship responsible and give it a piece of their mind.

Something suddenly stood out against the horizon. A structure followed by two smokestacks.

"Contact! Cruiser!" he shouted into the intercom. "Range one kilometer! Target bearing: One-Eight-Five!"

Next to him, Al was already on the sub's target bearing transmitter with a stopwatch in his hand, calculating the target's speed. After a minute. "Target speed… 20 knots!"

No sooner that the watch officer finished his statement, Oliver had already relayed the info to the torpedo room.

The information traveled through the intercom into the control room where Kinh was waiting.

"Excellent!" he exclaimed before giving his order to the torpedo room, "Remi! Get us a firing solution! I want her immobilized!"

In the torpedo room, Remi was calmly calculating the firing solution like it was child's play. After a minute, he was done.

"Firing solution acquired." he grumbled dully through the intercom as he worked on the torpedo tube consoles to set them.

He didn't have to wait long for his answer.

"Fire tube one!" ordered Kinh, "Ready to fire tube two if we miss!"

The "Aye sir" was followed by the sound of a torpedo being fired, along with a time estimate for the impact of 42 seconds. Kinh quickly switched places with Oliver on the top of the conning tower. He hoped they wouldn't miss otherwise they'd be in big trouble. With all the crew from the Independence on the Rainbow, it would be difficult for her crew to get her to dive quickly in case of trouble not to mention the shallow waters around them meant they didn't have much room either.

 _'Let's hope they don't have any destroyers with full depth charge racks'_

The captain shuddered at the thought as he looked at his watch. In the same hand, he held his intercom telephone, ready to issue his next order be it to dive or to fire again. Each second seemed to take a minute as they passed. So far, they hadn't been spotted… yet.

"Time's almost up dammit!" muttered Kinh as he mentally counted down the seconds. _'43 seconds.'_

He brought his binoculars to his eyes and looked at the cruiser that had been targeted. The rest of the Rainbow's watchmen stood beside him, waiting in anticipation. As he was about to order another shot, an explosion resonated and he saw through his binoculars a large plume of water engulfing the target's rear.

"Impact on target!" he shouted with happiness in his voice. There was no doubt that such a shot would have ripped off the propellers and rudder.

 _'That's for the Meredith!'_

"Excellent work boys!" praised Kinh as he high-fived Al. Frank blew a sigh of relief while Junior leaned back on the railing with a smile. The two fist bumped each other.

"Oliver! Get us to Yokosuka!"

"Aye sir!" was the enthusiastic answer.

* * *

 **USS Meredith (abandoned)**

 **September 22nd, 0114**

 **Status: Lifeboats adrift, awaiting rescue.**

 **Location: 24.7533, 141.1591**

"Danielle you alright?" Allison asks me while I groan, gritting my teeth to work through the extreme pain in my ribs.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Where the hell is the Harekaze?"

"I don't know. We could maybe send up a flare?"

Through my pain-muddled thoughts I debate the risks of firing a flare into the sky. On one hand it would allow us to both see the surrounding area better, but on the other hand it would also expose our location to the two cruisers lurking around the point of the island.

Eventually I choose to throw caution to the wind. "Fire one off."

 ** _*POP!*_**

Under the red glow of the flare I can make out the shape of a destroyer heading our direction.

"The hell? Is that a Kuma-class cruiser?" I hear Savannah say from a raft nearby, her voice laced with surprise. "No, it can't be. It's too thin. But those guns aren't destroyer guns…"

"It's our ride. Who cares?" Someone from the raft I'm clinging to asks.

The ship slows to a stop beside us and a cargo net is thrown overboard before a few crew members gather at the rail.

"Alright! Let's get the injured aboard first!" I yell, each word sending spikes of pain ripping through my torso.

I grab hold of the bottom of the cargo net as the injured are helped up, and after they're all safe I have the more able people climb, leaving me as the last person in the water.

"Come on Danielle! It's your turn!" Allison calls over the railing. I start to climb, but the pain in my torso becomes too intense, so I stop.

"Don't stop, come on!" Justin joins in.

"I can't…"

"What do you mean you can't?! Come on!"

"My fuckin' ribs…!" I groan, on the verge of tears.

"Fuck… pull!" Justin yells before I feel the net being pulled up. The second I reach the rail several arms grab me and pull me over the railing, accidentally dumping me on the deck.

The pain in my ribs reaches a new all-time high the second I hit the wooden deck, and it's all I can do not to scream. I clench my fists so hard I can feel knuckles pop, and beat on the deck with one hand while trying not to writhe around, my eyes clenched shut in pain.

"She's hurting bad- someone grab a stretcher or something!" I hear our ship's doctor yell.

At this point every little breath feels like a red-hot poker in the side. Every movement no matter how small hurts, and I feel someone grab my hands.

Eventually there's a small clatter beside me and I'm quickly lifted before being set down again.

"Get her down to the sick bay immediately. Be careful not to jostle her too much."

"Allison." I groan, banging my palm on the side of the stretcher.

"Right here. Whatd'ya need?" She grabs the same hand and gives it a squeeze.

"H-head count." I huff out before taking an incredibly painful deep breath. "Make sure we're all here. I'll be waiting."

"Of course, right away." She gives my hand a squeeze before running off, and the stretcher that I'm laying on is gently lifted.

"Nice and easy people."

Though they try to be gentle every footstep sends pain racing through my torso, and the deeper into the ship we go the more Japanese I can hear being spoken by people passing by.

Eventually, I'm set down, and I can hear our medical officer conversing in Japanese with who I can only guess is the Harekaze's medical officer.

…

"Danielle, Miss Minami and I have decided that it would be best to put you to sleep for the rest of our voyage to Yokosuka. It would ease your suffering and decrease the chance of you making whatever internal injuries you have worse."

I try my best to nod and lift my head to look at her. "I want to speak… with the Harekaze's captain."

The short grey-haired girl nods and rolls her chair over to a speaking tube before saying something in Japanese. A reply comes a few seconds later, and she rolls back over to me.

"She will be down in a minute."

I nod and fight to keep my eyes from watering up, and after an agonizing few minutes the door is opened.

"Captain. All bodies present and accounted for." Allison huffs, kneeling down beside me as a girl with light brown hair enters.

"Excuse me. Who is the captain of the Meredith?" She asks in flawless english.

"I am. Danielle Schumer, in your care."

"My name is Akeno Misaki, captain of the Harekaze." She bows.

"Pleasure to meet you." I use every breath to the fullest, and take another searing gulp of air. "My crew is yours. If you need help," another painful gasp of air. "Just tell them what to do." I look to Allison and move my arm to pat her on the shoulder. "You make sure they listen."

Having said all I needed to say I give Ms. Minami a nod and close my eyes, lowering my head back down to the stretcher before I feel a needle get stuck in my arm.

Eventually I just can't stay awake any longer, and surrender myself to sleep, knowing that we all are in good hands.

* * *

 **USS Monterey CVL-26**

 **September 26th, 1332 hours**

 **Status: Anchored outside of Yokosuka harbor**

 **Location: 33.9808, 139.4709**

After sitting for hours on end by the radio room desperately listening for any news on my sister I finally give up and head down to my bunk. No sooner do I climb in and lay my head down does the PA system squeal to life.

 _{Flight 2F report to the ready room immediately. Flight 2F report to the ready room. That is all.}_

I jump up and drop down off my bunk, almost landing on my wingman as she jogs towards the exit from the pilot quarters. Behind us are the other two pilots of my flight, and we all pick up the pace now that we're together.

"You think we've got CAP again?" My wingman asks, her long hazel hair bouncing with every step.

"I don't think so Alice. Four-Bravo just took off a little while ago."

"It might be a rogue ship, run faster!" Marco -my #3- huffs behind us.

"If it was a rogue ship they would've called everyone to the ready room, but he might be onto something. The sooner we get there the sooner we find out what's happening." Saige, Marco's wingman, pants.

"She's got a point, pick up the pace people!" I shout, jumping through an open bulkhead.

* * *

We jog up to the ready room below the bridge to find the captain standing at the front of the room.

"All of you get ready to fly. I'll brief you as you get prepared."

Without so much as an acknowledgement we all run to our lockers and fling them open, changing out of our running shoes and into the flight suit and boots. I help Alice with her harness and parachute, and in return she helps me with mine. All the while the captain is talking.

"One of the bombers from Four-Bravo spotted four ships heading our way from the south. One of which has been identified as the USS Portland. They are in a battle column making roughly thirty knots. I want you four to go out and greet them. Get a better visual on the ships and see if you can identify them as friendly or hostile. Your planes have the tracking FFAR's loaded, so if they're hostile put a rocket into each and get the hell outta there. Any questions?"

"I've got one Captain, though it's unrelated to the mission." I state, adjusting my parachute harness so it doesn't crush the family jewels if I have to bail out.

"Fire away."

"Is there any word from the Meredith? Anything at all?"

She lowers her head and shakes it. "Nope. Sorry Jack, we haven't heard anything. If those ships are friendly though then they might know. Any other questions regarding the mission?"

We all shake our heads, and she motions towards the bulkhead leading to the flight deck. "Good. Dismissed."

* * *

 **Hacksaw Ridge OST 14 - A Miraculous Return**

 _ **Play?**_

* * *

I grab my flight cap and goggles before slamming my locker shut and heading towards the bulkhead.

Outside our four F6F-5 Hellcat fighters sit at the aft end of the flight deck, their wings unfolded and three rockets sitting poised under each wing.

"Showtime peeps!" Marco yells, running across the deck to his plane.

"Last person started has to carry Pinky!" Saige yells, turning it into a race. Pinky is a bright pink parachute, and the biggest embarrassment in the squadron.

Facing complete embarrassment and humiliation in front of the entire squadron is enough motivation for Alice and I to break into a dead sprint towards our planes, doing a quick and easy pre-flight before climbing into the cockpit and beginning startup procedures.

Ironically, Saige is the last person to have her engine started, and once my radio is turned on I join in the merciless teasing of her while our engines warm up.

With the engine finally warm enough I give a thumbs-up to one of the flight crew and slide my canopy closed before he pulls a green flag out from behind his back. He looks across the deck, then up at the conning tower, and finally raises the flag high above his head before doing a side lunge and lowering the flag, giving me the signal that I'm clear to take off.

I glance at the controls one last time before sliding the throttle forward to almost full power. Given how the ship is anchored I'll need the help getting up to speed so I don't plunge into the water.

The powerful engine roars with might as I roll down the flight deck, quickly gaining speed before reaching the end of the deck and feeling that sickening drop that almost always gives me an adrenaline rush. Thankfully I've gained just barely enough speed to stay airborne, and the plane quickly starts clawing for altitude as the blue ocean beneath me gets further away.

I turn right and climb while raising my landing gear so I can watch the others take off and turn on the GoPro attached to my seat over my right shoulder.

 _{Two, rolling!}_ Alice calls out over the radio before she starts accelerating down the flight deck. She clears the end of the deck and drops just like I did before she starts climbing up and away, following my right turn.

 _{Three, rolling!}_ Marco reports as he too starts down the flight deck. He hardly drops at all at the end, but from my perch above the starboard side of the ship I can tell he has his flaps down.

 _{Four is rolling.}_ Saige calmly states while she accelerates, using the flaps on the plane like Marco did to get a little extra lift.

* * *

Now that everyone is airborne I turn South, setting up a decent climb rate with my trim before turning on the GoPro. Once the red light is flashing I face forward in my seat and turn on a small camera beside my gunsight which faces back into the cockpit, giving me good footage from over my shoulder and from in front of me. Both cameras are personal belongings, and once we're back in America I plan on uploading the footage to the internet.

 _{One, I'm coming up on your right wing.}_ Alice reports as I start to hear her engine from over my shoulder.

"Roger that. We're going to level out at ten thousand. Number Three and Four how far behind are you?"

 _{We're roughly a mile behind you. We should be caught up in no time.}_

"Good. Keep your heads on a swivel people, we need to find these ships."

* * *

Roughly an hour into the search I look over the leading edge of my right wing and spot something white in the water.

"Contact, one o'clock low." I report, nosing forward into a dive. I try my best to not make it look like an attack run in case the ships are wary from air attack, and once we get lower I can see there is indeed four ships. One of which being a cruiser.

"Baseplate this is two-Foxtrot. We have the pitcher in sight, and are moving to check him out, over." I mutter into the radio, internally cringing at the terrible codenames.

 _{Baseplate copies, be safe. Over.}_

"Always. Two-Foxtrot out."

I change my secondary radio channel over to the regional naval VHF channel for school ships while I continue to descend, and soon the authoritative voice of a guy comes through my headset loud and clear.

 _{Unidentified aircraft, you are about to enter the protective envelope of ships transporting shipwreck survivors. Identify yourself immediately or you will be fired upon.}_

"This is flight officer Jack Schumer, Operating from the escort carrier USS Monterey. I must ask that you identify yourself and all ships currently with you, as well as state your destination."

 _{This is the USS Portland, accompanied by destroyers USS Laffey, USS Johnston, and Harekaze. We are en-route to Yokosuka to drop off injured students and instructors before conducting repairs.}_

"Roger that Portland. If you all were expecting a red carpet, we're it. Wait one while I get instructions from Monterey."

I go into a loose orbit above the ships while I get in contact with the carrier. "Baseplate, Two-Foxtrot. Come in, over."

…

 _{Two-Foxtrot, this is Baseplate. Send it. Over.}_

"Two-Foxtrot reporting home run. The pitcher threw the ball perfectly. Over."

 _{Roger that. Ask them how their arm is. Out.}_

I roll my eyes and change the secondary channel back over. "Portland can you tell us how many injured your posse has, and how many of them are critical?"

 _{Of course, wait one.}_

While I wait I continue circling them, and notice that Portland's superfiring eight-inch gun turret is charred and blackened, with the three bent guns aiming to the starboard side at various angles of elevation.

"Damn…" I mumble absentmindedly.

 _{Monterey aircraft, Portland. We have a grand total of eighteen wounded to the point where they require medical attention. Of those, two have possible life-threatening injuries.}_

"Roger that. Do you have any whereabouts on the destroyer USS Meredith?" I ask, noting the distinct lack of my sister's ship.

 _{The Meredith sank three days ago during the rescue mission. All crew are aboard the Harekaze with the exception of one critically wounded, who is aboard the Portland.}_

My heart sinks down into my stomach, and I hesitate to ask the big question.

"What is the status of the Meredith's captain?"

 _{...Captain Schumer is currently in a medically induced coma, and we are currently preparing to use one of our seaplanes to fly her to Yokosuka for immediate medical attention.}_

My heart sinks even further, and I feel like I'm on the verge of breaking into tears.

"R-roger that. How soon will the plane be launched?" I ask, stuttering slightly.

 _{Five minutes. We're loading Captain Schumer right now and doing final preparations.}_

"Good. My flight and I will escort the floatplane to Yokosuka. From there I suppose we'll see you when you show up in port."

 _{Sounds like a plan. What did you say your name was again?}_

"Jack Schumer. Just ask for flight leader of two-foxtrot."

 _{Roger that. I'm First Mate Liam Hartmann of the USS Portland. I look forward to meeting you in person. Portland out.}_

I hear the channel click off and change back over to the command frequency before explaining things to my flight.

"Alright, here's the plan. Portland is getting ready to medevac the captain of the Meredith to Yokosuka via floatplane. Our job is to make sure nothing happens to that plane. Once we're done doing that we'll land back on the Monterey, and I'll be taking some shore leave time."

 _{We'd love to, but while you were talking to the Portland we got another assignment. We've gotta go check out a sub further to the south.}_ Alice reports.

 _{Isn't your sister the captain of the Meredith?}_ Saige asks.

"Yeah. They've got her in a medical coma." I respond while loosening my orbit.

 _{How about this then. Saige and I can go check out the sub while you and Alice escort the floatplane. We'll all meet up at the Monterey.}_

"Y'know Marco, that's the best idea you've had all week."

 _{I take it that's a 'yes' then. Be safe you two, and remember, only fools don't wrap their tools!}_

 _{I have a sudden urge to shoot down Marco.}_ Alice grumbles as we reverse our orbit around the ships.

"Me too hun'. Me too."

While we continue to circle the ships my mind keeps going through the what-ifs, and eventually I hear the call I'm waiting for.

 _{Jack, the floatplane just launched.}_

Looking over my left shoulder I easily find the Kingfisher floatplane as it climbs away from the heavy cruiser and roll in to form up on its right wing.

Once I get close enough to see the individuals inside I can see the pilot, looking over his shoulder at me.

Behind his seat in a capsule designed to detach should the plane crash is my sister, an oxygen mask over her face and straps holding her loosely to the stretcher underneath her.

I quickly wipe my eyes and pull up, climbing above the floatplane so I don't have to see Danielle in such a state. I level out five thousand feet above the floatplane and we coordinate our speed via the radio the entire way to Yokosuka so we don't overtake or leave each other in the dust.

Finally more than two hours later we reach Yokosuka, and in the distance I can see the infamous Musashi anchored at her mooring.

 _{Two-Foxtrot lead, you want me to pick you up and bring you to the hospital? I heard the captain is your sister.}_ The OS2U pilot asks via the radio, descending to land at the floating hospital near the Musashi.

"Would you please? I'd greatly appreciate it."

 _{No problem. I know how it is to have injured siblings. My sister broke her neck a few years ago and was stuck in the hospital. They damn near had to knock me out to get me away from her bedside.}_

"Many thanks. I'll see you at the Monterey then." I respond as I break away, heading back towards the Monterey with Alice close on my wing. We fly in silence for a few minutes before she speaks.

 _{Your sister's a tough one. I'm sure she'll be fine. After all, she'd have to be tough to put up with you.}_

"I know… I just feel like I've failed in my job as an older brother… I'm supposed to make sure she stays safe."

 _{There wasn't anything you could have done. It's probably just a broken rib or something, and she'll be fine in a few weeks. She didn't look burned or anything, so they probably put her under to make sure she doesn't hurt herself any worse than she already is.}_

"I pray you're right and that's the only thing wrong." I mutter into my microphone before changing my secondary channel to talk to Marco and Saige.

"2-3, this is 2-1. We're RTB. How's things on your end?"

 _{We tried not to scare 'em. The HMCS Rainbow is carrying all the people from the Independence, and let me say that Gleaves is pissed.}_

"Not at us I hope?"

 _{Negative. I'm pretty sure the captain isn't going to be a captain for much longer though.}_

"As in, our captain?"

 _{Affirmative. We're RTB. Meet you there.}_

"Roger that. Stay safe."

* * *

 **HMCS Rainbow, SS-75**

 **1526 hours, September 26th**

 **Status: En route to Yokosuka**

 **Location: 33.0541, 137.2045**

The rumbling of four diesel engines resonated through the Rainbow as she sped towards her next port. Inside the crew quarters, her sailors were finishing up patching up the injured from the Independence under the watchful eye of a medical cadet and his instructor. As for her command crew, nothing out of the ordinary had happened since the harrowing events of the past day.

 _'Thank God ostie'_ thought Kinh. He was grateful that nothing had happened to them since the Iwo Jima rescue incident. With all the extra people loaded aboard his boat, it would be extremely slow to dive as the crew couldn't rush forward. His watch officers and radio operator hadn't reported anything unusual.

Meanwhile, the instructors were discussing in the command center about the finer points of the impromptu operation at Iwo Jima and how it came to be.

"Essentially, after we survived our run-in with the rogue destroyer, we stumbled upon the Meredith." explained Olson, "They were busy patching themselves up so we took a chance and ended up talking with them on board their ship about the situation. That's where we got a clearer picture of the situation."

Kinh, who had been standing over the navigator's table, decided to add in his two cents.

"The captain of the Meredith was extremely sharp despite the situation."

Gleaves turned her attention to him.

""Despite the situation" Captain Huynh?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Aye, she managed to somehow command her ship competently despite having slept four hours in three days," Kinh answered with a smile, "Not to mention that she also managed to hold a discussion and clear briefing about the situation with us before we got attacked by aircraft."

"Aircraft?"

Olson let out a grunt of annoyance upon hearing this.

"Apparently, some of the larger Japanese carriers went rogue along with their air wings and supply ships." he stated, "They attacked us shortly after we boarded the Meredith."

"Captain Schumer theorized that this was possibly an organized attack of some kind," Kinh added, "After I gave it some thought, it makes sense since all the ships affected were mainly capital ships. It's too much to be a coincidence if you ask me though we'd have to dig deeper."

The Canadian instructor shook his head.

"Kinh, try to stay on topic. The air attack was broken up by a CAP from Monterey but before we left the Meredith and Captain Schumer, we already decided on plans she spearheaded to come and help you. You know the rest."

A smile appeared on Gleaves' face as she heard this.

"Captain Schumer seems to have taken the initiative quite a lot," she said with a hint of pride, "A few points away from a promotion to a cruiser."

The two Canadians looked at each other with small grins.

"Were it up to us Instructor Gleaves, she'd be captain of a battleship." boasted Kinh.

The American shook her head.

"Don't sell yourself short gentlemen. Your conduct in these past days have been remarkable," she praised. Both men thanked her. Suddenly, they were interrupted by a call over the intercom.

"Saïd here! I've got someone on the radio for you captain!" the radio man reported. Kinh had a confused look on his face as he picked up the intercom handset.

"Talk to me Saïd. The hell's going on?"

"I got a flight of Hellcats hailing us," he reported, "The leader wants to talk to you."

"Right, I'll be on my way," replied Kinh before turning to Oliver, "Take over for me alright?"

"Aye."

Kinh made his way to the radio room.

 _'Maybe we'll get some fighter cover…'_

Sitting in front of him was the radio operator, Saïd Ali. He appeared to be completely engrossed in his work. He had headphones on him while his station had various codebooks and stacks of paper lying neatly on the desk.

"Saïd."

"Yeah, here you go my captain," the radioman answered with a smile as he handed a headset to Kinh, "That pilot really wanted to talk to you."

Taking the handset in his hand, the captain cleared his throat.

"This is Captain Kinh-Luyên Huynh of the HMCS Rainbow, who am I speaking to," he said formally.

 _{This is Sergeant Marco Rodriguez, flight two-foxtrot from the USS Monterey. Please state your intentions and destination.}_

"Sgt. Rodriguez, we're currently carrying survivors we've rescued from the USS Independence to Yokosuka." Kinh replied.

 _{Roger that Captain. Would you be kind enough to put Instructor Gleaves on the horn if she's available?}_

"Right, give me a few seconds."

Kinh then called for the instructor over the intercom. After a few moments, the woman appeared. The Rainbow's captain handed her a spare handset.

"Instructor Mara Gleaves here."

 _{Hello Mrs. Gleaves, I'm Foxtrot two-three from the USS Monterey, Marco Rodriguez. I've been told to inform you that as soon as you are able the board of instructors needs you to call them.}_

"I will do so Mister Rodriguez. However, can you tell me where the Monterey has been these past few days?"

 _{Ma'am the Monterey has been anchored off the coast of Japan for the past two days. We escorted what was left of the convoy to Yokosuka, and then our captain told us we were ordered to anchor instead of returning.}_

"Ordered by who?! I didn't give such an order!" Gleaves shrieked into the headset. Kinh took a step in surprise, not expecting her to blow up like that.

 _{Ma'am I'm afraid that's above my head! Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just telling you what I know!}_

Gleaves took a deep breath and counted to five before continuing. "When we get to Yokosuka I expect your captain to meet me there."

 _{Roger that. Do you have any other questions before we sign off and return?}_

"How many students were injured and how bad?"

 _{Eighteen injured, two critically. Captain Danielle Schumer of the USS Meredith is being flown to Yokosuka Naval Hospital as we speak.}_

"And what of Jack Schumer? Where is he?"

 _{He's currently escorting the floatplane to Yokosuka with his wingman. I don't have the details on how serious his sister is but I can ask if you'd like.}_

"Negative, that's fine. Send him my best wishes. Gleaves out."

The instructor left the radio room with a clear look of annoyance while Said looked at her sheepishly. However, the Rainbow's captain was still on the radio.

"Excuse me Sgt. Rodriguez but is it true that Danielle Schumer is badly injured and if so do you know how bad?"

 _{That's affirmative, they put her in a medical coma. I don't know how bad she is, but they should be arriving in Yokosuka shortly.}_

"...Fuck"

Kinh made a mental note to ask his medical personnel about that.

 _{Yeah no kidding. Anyhow, we've gotta boogie outta here. We're running low on fuel.}_

"Right! Think you can ask some of your pals to cover us eh?"

 _{I'll see what I can do but I don't have much say in the matter. I'm just a wingman.}_

Kinh shook his head in annoyance as he put down his headset.

 _'So much for fighter cover…'_

* * *

 **Jack Schumer,**

 **September 26th, 1745 hours.**

 **Status: Awaiting word of Danielle Schumer's condition following surgery.**

 **Location: Yokosuka Naval Hospital**

Upon arriving at the hospital I immediately identified myself to a doctor as family of my sister, and I was told she'd been moved straight into X-ray. The results back from that weren't good, and the doctor asked me for permission to move her into surgery to remove a bone shard that had broken off from one of her ribs, and was essentially moving freely throughout her abdomen.

"Of course! Please, whatever it takes." Was my response. I was shocked that he even needed to ask, and I tried my best to be polite with him. After all, I was still in my full flight gear, minus my cap and goggles, and I was easily identified by my identification patch on my left shoulder.

Shortly thereafter she was rushed to the ER, where I was told to wait outside of the surgery room. Minutes seem to pass as hours, and finally two hours later I see the red glow of the sign fade out.

The doctor comes out a few minutes later.

"I've got good news. The internal damage was minimal, and we only had to give her a couple stitches. The rib that broke has been secured with a metal plate, and I've got the X-rays right here so you can deliver them to your instructor." He hands a big envelope to me, and I shake his hand in thanks.

"When will I be able to see her?"

"As soon as they get her settled in. Normally we don't get these kind of injuries from school ships."

I lean in and so does he.

"There's one more who's inbound on a ship. I don't know what shape they're in, but the captain said it's possibly life-threatening."

He nods and pats me on the shoulder. "We'll be ready for them."

I sigh in relief, knowing that my classmates will be taken care of is a big weight off my shoulders, and knowing that my sister is safe is an even better feeling. "Thank you sir. I'll be in the lobby."

"Take care of yourself young man. I'll send word when she's able to take visitors." The doctor claps me on the shoulder again before he walks down the hall, grabbing a clipboard from behind the service desk while he talks to the nurse there.

I walk down the hall to the lobby, pulling my parachute off my harness so I can carry it over my shoulder like a satchel.

As I walk past I hear him say something to the nurse in a hushed tone.

"Call the research lab. We're going to need antidotes, and lots of them."


	4. Chapter 4: Something in the air

**[A/N]: You all waited so patiently,and here it is! I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. It is sadly a little shorter than normal, however we've both been incredibly busy.**

 **As always Goodalwayswins98 has written the Canadian's perspective, and I've written the American's perspective.**

 **If you like what you see, and have any possible ideas for the story, leave a review letting me know!**

 **As always, enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Jack Schumer**_

 _ **September 27th, 0726,**_

 _ **Location: Yokosuka Naval Hospital,**_

 _ **Status: Waiting for Danielle Schumer's awakening following emergency surgery.**_

The first hint that I get that we have visitors is when the door is opened. I stand up quickly and face the door just as an Asian guy sticks his head in, removing a Captain's hat as he enters. Behind him enters a blonde guy and a caveman who is obviously not a morning person, judging from the way he's dragging his feet.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" I ask in Japanese, unsure if these are Japanese academy students.

"Uhhh… We're acquaintances of hers." The captain answers in English, "Just cause I look Asian doesn't mean I'm Japanese eh?"

"How long ago did you guys meet her, where, and if you know her then give me her assigned ship designation number and name." I challenge in English, wary of the new arrivals. "And I wasn't trying to lump you in. You just never know these days."

"A few days ago, near Iwo Jima, and DD-726 USS Meredith." The captain responds in clean English.

"...Alright. I'm Flight Lieutenant Jack Schumer, flight lead for two-foxtrot of the USS Monterey, and her older brother." I introduce myself while I sit back down.

"I am Captain Kinh-Luyên Huynh of the HMCS Rainbow. This is Albert Gendreau, and Remi Chagnon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"HCMS Rainbow? What is that, a frigate?" I ask uncertainly. "And what kind of gay ass name is Rainbow?"

"I'll have you know that the Rainbow is a Tench-class submarine, and a damn good sub at that tabarnak!" Al bristles, taking a step towards me with a finger pointed in my direction. Next to him, Kinh cracks his knuckles while Remi's eyes narrow and his face contorts into a snarl. A low growl could be heard from the caveman-like boy.

"Wait, is your sub's designation SS-75?" Call it a hunch, but I think I've come close to meeting these guys before. It's also a way to change their focus before we all get kicked out for fighting in a hospital.

"Yeah, why?"

"Was it you guys that got buzzed by a flight of Hellcats at the beginning of the year?" I try my best to contain my amusement, and after the captain responds in the affirmative I lose it, roaring with laughter.

"That was my flight that buzzed you!"

"Mon ostie de tabarnak!" Kinh shouts as he clenches his fists, "You know how much trouble we went through because of that?!"

"I gotta give you canucks credit though, that was a pretty fast dive for a bunch of rookies." I chuckle, ignoring his question.

"Mmmmnnnnnn…" Danielle groans, grabbing the undivided attention of everyone in the room, myself included.

I pivot in my seat and grab her hand, giving it a squeeze as her eyelids start to twitch. Then when she opens her eyes she looks at me. "Would it kill you to shut up once in awhile?"

I stare at her for a second before laughing. "I was going to ask how you're feeling, but I guess you're fine."

"Sorry about that," Kinh apologizes loudly. Al glares at him for being too loud.

"Good job man!" says the blond before scolding his friend in French.

"Hmmm…? Oh hell, where'd you guys come from?"

The two Canadians quit their bickering before sheepish looks appear on their faces.

"In all seriousness though, how do you feel?" I ask.

"My chest feels a bit tight, and my ribs ache, but otherwise I feel fine." She mutters, starting to try and sit up before I put my hand on her shoulder and gently push her back down.

"Yeah that's not happening. Stay or I'll get a nurse and she can tell you off."

"You should listen to your brother," Al suggests but Kinh cuts him off.

"We avenged your ship though!" he says with a wide grin. "Don't worry, I didn't vaporize the enemy cruiser with a full salvo. We just blew her steering and propellers off."

Remi had a smug look on his face at that statement.

"Yeah, I did a very good shot." he said gruffly with his head held high and a hint of pride in his voice. A rough grin appeared on his face.

"And in doing so you probably also blew a massive fucking hole in the bottom of the ship, causing massive flooding and possibly breaking the back of the ship. Way, to, go." I rattle off that information before slow clapping.

"Not really… Remi and Al are math geniuses and I had them set the torpedo to hit the rear of the ship not to mention that the Blue Mermaids found the USS Brooklyn dead in the water off Iwo Jima with her propellers blown off and her rudder all fucked up." Kinh explains with a smile.

"You guys are either a lot better than I thought or super fucking lucky. The last time anyone tried something like that in our school they ended up blowing the bottom out of an Argentinian cruiser. A hair off nine-hundred pounds of explosives ain't exactly a precision weapon." I sigh back, shaking my head.

"Eh you can't argue with results now can you? The crew's getting treated for the RATt as soon as possible from what I heard. Also that was the one exercise with the Brits right?"

"Well, being a pilot I'll argue that you could, but our margin for error is much bigger than yours, so whatever." I shrug my shoulders. "What doesn't make sense to me is that we were vaccinated for this before we came over here. So why the hell did they get it? And yeah, I got to know some chicks aboard the Ark Royal."

The Canadians look at each other in puzzlement. Their silence and general expression simply say "No idea."

"Perhaps I can answer that." A familiar voice speaks up as the door is slid open, revealing instructor Gleaves.

"Eh?"

I bound to my feet, snapping to attention in a manner expected of pilots. "Instructor!"

The submariners also snap to attention. Even if Gleaves was American, she still outranked them.

"Relax Jack, sit down. I'm here unofficially. You boys don't need to do that either, I'm not your instructor."

"Sorry but old habits die hard Instructor Gleaves."

' _Ahhh… good old cliche Canadians…'_

I sit back down and pull out the other seat, offering it to the instructor. "Good to see you ma'am. So what's the deal with the rodent problem?"

"It would appear that this is a different strain. Just from what the Blue Mermaids have told us it's a mutated strain of what they fought a few months ago."

"Figures," groans Kinh before a deadpanned Remi adds, "Viruses evolve."

Al is in deep thought before he speaks up again.

"What about the crew of the Brooklyn then?" He asks with a mix of annoyance and worry.

"They've all been quarantined until we can get a working antivirus. Same with the crew of the Myoukou." She pauses and looks at me. "Speaking of crews, you have a new captain."

"I do? What did Sierra do?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"She used the false excuse of having orders to disguise cowardice. She told the other captains that she couldn't return to the battlefield because she had orders to stay where the Monterey is currently anchored. I did not give her any orders to do so."

"So who's the captain now?"

"The previous First Mate."

I smile and nod in satisfaction. "I can live with that."

The various submariners look out of place as they follow the conversation.

"Good, because I also moved the flights around. Your flight is now one-India."

"W-wait, really? We're first on launch priority now?"

"You should have been in the first place given your performance last year."

Kinh let out a whistle.

"Not bad man," he says with a grin before slapping me on the back with enough force to knock the wind out of me. His companions roll their eyes in annoyance.

"Fuckin'A! Could I keep my lungs please?!" I cough out roughly.

"Ooh shit… really don't know my own strength. Fuck, sorry about that eh." Kinh replies sheepishly though judging from his friends faces, he's not telling the truth. Something Al confirms.

"Ta yeule! You always do this you fuckin' idiot."

Remi snorts.

"Oh come on ostie! That's how Real Men do it! Yeah!" he roars boisterously before high-fiving Kinh with a ridiculous amount of force. Both sound like a pair of cavemen.

"Gentlemen, might I remind you there are two women here, neither of whom appreciate hearing your vulgar displays." Instructor Gleaves scolds us. I hang my head and mutter an apology.

"You understand our swearing?" Remi grunts with a raised eyebrow.

His captain is a bit faster on the draw with his apology though not by much.

"Oh fuck! Sorry about that!"

Al merely looks fazed, his annoyed expression clearly saying "You idiot", before apologizing in a proper fashion.

"Of course I understand your swearing. I was required to learn French so our schools could perform exercises together." Gleaves responds to the caveman's inquiry, whilst glaring at the captain.

"But hey," Al says looking at Danielle, "You ok?"

"Yeah! I'm fit as a horse! I think." She responds cheerfully with her usual innocent smile.

"That's good to know!" Kinh says with a smile, "I don't think you know this mother… I mean my Torpedo Officer." He then points to the ape-like boy next to him. "This is Remi Chagnon."

"Hello," he grunts.

"I believe this is the first time we've met. Nice to meet you Remi."

"Sure," he grunts flatly, his face showing no emotion.

"Yeah, he doesn't talk alot," adds Al, "I stopped trying to make him socially acceptable a long time ago."

"Whatever, fuck you tabarnak." he shrugs and rolls his eyes.

"So kinda like Jack, just more antisocial." She giggles before grabbing at her side, sucking air through her teeth. Kinh visibly looks awkward at the situation.

"Easy sis, you've only been out of surgery for a few hours. You break any stitches and I'll make sure they keep you in here until you're healed." I warn, grabbing the manilla folder off the bedside table and handing it to Gleaves. "Her X-rays."

She instantly tears open the envelope and looks through the x-rays with an intensity in her eyes that I've never seen before. "Oh my… and she had this injury for how long before relinquishing command?"

"According to what I've heard, roughly sixteen or seventeen hours." I respond, looking down at my sister, who nods dejectedly in response.

"I see…" Gleaves finishes looking over the x-rays and puts them back in the folder before standing up. "I've got some meetings to hold. Jack, you've still got my work number I presume?" I nod in response. "Good. Call me if there's any updates."

"Aye Ma'am."

"We gotta go and take care of things on the Rainbow but once that's done, we'll go chat up your crew and see how everyone's doing eh." Kinh says with a smile before he and his crewmembers salute and take their leave, following the instructor out.

"So… what do you think of them?" Danielle asks me after the door is closed.

"I think I need to buzz them again."

"Seriously? That bad?" She scowls at me, and I can't help but laugh.

"Nah, just for the hell of it."

* * *

 _ **Kinh-Luyên Huynh**_

 _ **September 27th, 1130,**_

 _ **Location: HMCS Rainbow's dock, Yokosuka**_

 _ **Status: Undergoing basic maintenance and inventory**_

The familiar sound of steps clanging against the metal floors of the Rainbow could be heard as her crew busied itself one last time before shore leave.

Looking over a clipboard, Kinh was checking off boxes.

 _'So far so good'_

Their food stockpiles were good and miraculously nothing had been damaged in their run-in with the rogue destroyer. He couldn't wait to get everything done.

A familiar voice broke him out of his musings.

"Everything's done sir!" reported Oliver, "Lindbergh just reported that everything's good in the engine room."

"Excellent, as for our food supplies, cook says everything's good. We're gonna more torpedoes obviously." Kinh replied with a smile, "Radio and sonar are good as well. At the rate we're going, we should be able get off soon. Olson's gone off to meet with the other instructors. Anyhow… let's get back to work. The crews from the other ships are getting here soon."

"Other ships?"

"The gang from the Meredith as well as one of the Japanese destroyers."

The sound of someone coming down from the conning tower signalled Al's arrival.

"I heard we were meeting the Harekaze girls as well as the gang from the Meredith," he said with a grin. Meeting cute girls was always a good morale booster for the boys of the Rainbow.

"Well then guys," Kinh exclaimed, "Let's wrap this up and meet some cute girls!" He and his fellows got back to their remaining tasks.

After 20 minutes of work, the captain announced over the intercom that all work was done and that it was time for shore leave to start. Hollers of joy were heard throughout the boat. The crew were heading back to their quarters for a change of clothes and began one by one to leave the Rainbow.

Kinh was the last one to climb out of the conning tower. Sporting a white polo covered by a well worn ranger vest and a pair of jeans tucked into his boots, he took a deep breath and sighed happily. It felt good to be back on dry land. He adjusted his cap slightly to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight. He could see that his crew was having the same thoughts as him. Everyone was enjoying their free time and warm weather. As he made his way down to the dock, Kinh began whistling a familiar song.

* * *

 **It's a Long way to Tipperary**

 _ **Play?**_

* * *

He saw Al and Remi talking to each other and waiting for him. After catching up to them, the trio began walking alongside the deck. There were various supply crates, barrels as well as various carts of munitions. Above them, large cranes stood idly, awaiting the day's work. Ships, -mainly destroyers- were docked, though there was a large ship bearing the flags of the Deutsche Marine. The Rainbow was the only submarine around however.

"Feels good to be back on dry land hein Kinh?" Al asked in French.

"I'll say." the captain answered, "Feels great having solid ground under our feet."

 _'As solid as it can get… most of Japan's cities are floating ones...'_

Looking around, he could see new people arriving. He recognized the familiar officers' uniforms from the Meredith along with what he presumed was their crew but he also saw groups of girls mostly wearing white shirts and blue dresses.

"Those must be Japanese girls," Remi grunted, "They're tiny."

Kinh merely rolled his eyes.

"Goddammit Remi…"

Remi let out a small snort.

"It's a fact."

Al shook his head with a grin on his face.

"I'm in the best position possible right now," he chuckled. Kinh raised an eyebrow at this, wondering where his friend would go with this.

"How come?"

"There's no cute girl that can talk caveman..."

"Fuck you tabarnak," Remi interrupted with an irritated look.

"And you're gay right Kinh?" Al added cheekily before laughing. Remi seemed to lighten at this and let a short, deep laugh.

"Oh va chier man!" shouted the captain, "Anyhow, let's go meet some new people ok?"

The trio made their way towards the gathering crowd where the various crewmembers were starting to mingle when Kinh heard a voice call him by his rank.

"Captain Youwin!"

Turning his head towards the source, he noticed a group of girls on the side of the dock heading towards him and his friends.

"Alright, which one of you girls called for me like that?" he asked.

"I did. That's how your name is pronounced, right?" An athletic brunette responded, throwing a small backpack up onto the deck of the Harekaze.

"You totally messed up but no worries," the captain said nonchalantly, "It's pronounced H-winh. Just call me Kinh"

"I'm Allison Meyers, ex-first mate of the USS Meredith. Pleased to meet you."

Kinh bowed his head.

"Pleased to meet you and my condolences for your ship," he replied solemnly, "I visited your captain this morning and met her brother. Looks like a fun guy."

"Oh, Jack? Yeah, he's uh… quite the character."

"But where are my manners though!" the Canadian exclaimed as he pointed to his friends, "This blonde here is my watch officer Al and this ape here is Remi. Don't let his looks fool you, he's a whiz with torpedoes."

Remi had a feral grin on his face.

"I hope you guys liked my handiwork," he boasted proudly before getting a death glare from Al.

"Your handiwork? Fuck you ostie! You wouldn't have hit shit if it wasn't for me!" Al shot back.

The brunette just shrugged. "Didn't see what y'all did. We were a tad bit busy. Nice to meet you gentlemen."

"We're the ones that put a torpedo in the Brooklyn and stopped her dead in the water." Kinh added with a smile.

"Oh. As I said, I didn't see anything. I was too busy holding a wound closed."

The three Canadians all had awkward looks on their faces at hearing this.

"Anyway, we just got done checking out the Graf Spee and were coming to collect you fellas. The captain of the Harekaze wanted to meet you." After looking around quickly Allison leans in and talks in a hushed voice. "Between you, me, and the torpedoes, I'm pretty sure our Bosun has the hots for one 'a y'all."

"Eh?" grunted Remi.

"Pretty sure it's not you Remi," Al snorted, "Don't think she ever saw a caveman." He looked over at Kinh, "You either cause no."

"Whatever. Don't get cocky man." Kinh replied casually, "Let's head over to the Harekaze then. Lead the way miss."

"Follow me, it ain't far. Case you can't tell."

"Ight," answered the trio as they began following Allison before Kinh turned to the crowd, "Oi guys! We're being invited to the Harekaze. Haul your fucking asses there!"

He saw his crew nod in approval before they started following him. Kinh heard someone run up to him.

"Wait for me sir!" shouted Oliver, out of breath. Remi looked at him rather with a dumbfounded look while Al had an eyebrow raised.

"Yo relax Oliver," the watch officer said, "We're on dry land now."

"Alright, alright," the first mate replied reluctantly, "I can't wait to meet the Harekaze girls as well."

Kinh looked at him with a goofy grin as they walked.

"Can't wait to meet your waifu?"

Oliver looked at him with daggers in his eyes.

"My _what?!_ "

"The girl you'd crawl through hell with broken knees for, simply because she looks gorgeous in your eyes. The one who you'd gladly live out the rest of your life with." Allison explained over her shoulder, walking up the staircase onto the Harekaze.

"Textbook definition there Allison," Kinh said while letting out a whistle.

"What can I say? I've got my love for anime too." Allison responds with a look over her shoulder and a toothy grin.

"Not much of an anime fan but Al here is eh?"

The watch officer nodded with a smile.

"Yeah yeah."

By now the Rainbow's captain and his fellow subordinates along with their friends from the Meredith had reached the gangplank of the Harekaze. Standing at the other end was a short girl with blue eyes and light brown hair in twintails while next to her was a taller one with black hair tied in a ponytail along with two long tails on the side of her head and red eyes.

The shorter one had a captain's hat that covered her head but she wore the same white and blue uniform as her colleague.

"Welcome aboard the Harekaze!" she greeted, "I am Captain Akeno Misaki. This is Mashiro Munetani, Deputy-Captain!"

Kinh, Al, Remi and Oliver saluted the two before the captain introduced himself as he walked with his right hand outstretched.

"Pleased to meet you Captain Misaki! I'm Captain Kinh-Luyên Huynh of the HMCS Rainbow."

The girl giggled for a second.

"Rainbow, it's such an adorable name for a submarine." she said enthusiastically. The Rainbow's officers' faces had various looks of embarrassment mixed with annoyance. Low groans were also heard. Kinh had daggers in his eyes.

"The Rainbow is a lot of things but she's not "adorable"." he replied dryly as he shook her hands "Anyhow, I appreciate the hospitality and the invitation. These gentlemen are Albert Gendreau, Watch officer, Remi Chagnon. Torpedo Officer and Oliver Archer, my First Mate."

The boys shook hands with Akeno before Kinh turned his attention to the Harekaze's first mate.

"Pleased to meet you Deputy-Captain Munetani."

She briefly nodded as she shook his hand.

"The pleasure is mutual Captain Huynh," she said politely and seriously, "I welcome you aboard the Harekaze as well."

"Thank you ver-" Kinh began, but was interrupted by the droning sound of a plane engine, accompanied by a distinct high-pitched whistling. "What the Fuck?!"

Turning his head over, he saw a diving Hellcat heading towards the docks. Cries of surprise were heard as well from his crew and the Japanese destroyer's before everyone started hitting the deck.

"INCOMING!" shouted Kinh as he shoved Mashiro. He forgot his surroundings for a moment and underestimated his strength. He barely registered her cry of surprise and the following splash.

"MON TABARNAK!" he cursed at the offending fighter at the same time that he was waving his middle fingers. The plane gained altitude and circled around. Some of his crew had gotten back on their feet and were swearing as well as waving their fists. Meanwhile around them on the nearby American ships the Americans all cheered like it was a sports game.

"Va chier mon crisse!" (Go shit you fucker!") the Canadian captain shouted one last time as he saw the Hellcat disappear. Turning back to his crew, he called out.

"Everyone all right?"

Various angry affirmatives answers were heard. The captain blew out a sigh of relief. More fear than harm.

"You dumbass, you pushed Mashiro over!" Allison yelled, running for a life ring and glaring daggers at him. Kinh looked at the water next to the Harekaze and saw Mashiro bobbing in the water.

"Oh fuck! You ok there!?" he asked.

The girl had a look of resignation on her face.

"I'm so unlucky," she groaned audibly. Kinh merely rolled his eyes at this.

"No you're not! I'm a walking lucky charm for everyone around me. If it were a real air attack, you'd be safe right now!"

The girl checked her pockets and pulled her cellphone.

"... Except you just fried my cellphone."

"Wha?" asked an incredulous Kinh, "Why didn't you get a waterproof one? Geez."

"It was a waterproof one… I'm so unlucky."

The Canadian shook his head.

"Ah...oh… sorry." he apologized, "At least you're not exposed to enemy fire right now I guess?"

She glared at him. By now however, Allison had arrived with a lifebuoy and threw it at Mashiro. Luckily it didn't hit her and landed a few feet away.

During the whole time, Remi was snickering while Al was facepalming himself in annoyance at his friend's antic.

 _'And you wonder why you can't get a girlfriend you idiot'_ he thought, looking at Kinh.

"Al!" A voice called from further up the deck as the sound of running feet could be heard.

"Yo?"

Next thing the watch officer knew was that he was engulfed in a massive hug.

"Hey there?" he asked in surprise as he recognized Savannah, the strawberry haired Bosun of the Meredith, with her arms around him.

"Hi! I umm… I may have developed a bit of a crush on you and I uhh… I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime." The girl admitted shyly, still practically hanging off him while nearly beaming with enthusiasm.

"Sure," he said with a wink and a grin, "You look pretty cool."

Behind him Kinh was glaring at him with jealousy.

"Why does he get the cute girl?!" he hissed.

Remi snorted and groaned in annoyance.

"Because unlike the retard that you are, he doesn't shove cute girls into the water."

A hand was suddenly clapped on Kinh's shoulder, followed by Allison's voice. He looked somewhat down.

"Don't worry Seaman, there's plenty of fish in the sea."

"That's what everyone says," he sighed before perking up, "Eh whatever!"

The hand on his shoulder was quickly removed before a hearty slap was delivered to his upper back, stinging like no other. The captain jumped up with a happy smile of his face. "That's the spirit! Now get the hell outta' the way so I can go get Mashiro some dry clothes."

"HAHA! Good idea there."

* * *

 _ **Jack Schumer, USS Monterey,**_

 _ **September 27th, 1226,**_

 _ **Status: Preparation for flight, accompanied by Alice,**_

 _ **Location: 33.9808, 139.4709**_

"Yep, departure to the east, then we'll swing over Yokosuka, I'll get my chance to terrorize the hell out of the Canucks and then we'll resume our date. We'll fly over Mount Fuji, then we'll circle back around to land back here!" I stretch my arms above my head as Alice and I cross the flight deck to our awaiting planes, the wings laden with three HVAR's each and a pair of silver drop tanks under the fuselage of both our planes.

"Sounds like an easy flight. I just wish we had a two-seater." Alice hums, taking my hand in hers once I drop my arms. She stops me and spins me around to face her before giving me a gentle kiss on the cheek. She pulls away and gives me a grin before leaning in again.

Thinking she's gonna kiss me again I offer the other cheek, but instead she moves her head up by my ear.

"Last one started buys dinner."

In an instant she separates from me and sprints towards her plane.

"Wait wha- hey no fair!" I yell, sprinting as fast as I can to my plane. I climb up onto the wing and jump into my seat, sliding the canopy closed as I begin my startup procedure, checking my oxygen, then all my cooling systems. Then I check my battery and my magneto's. I open the fuel flow and am just about to start turning the prop when I hear her engine roar to life behind me. I turn the prop while turning on my radio, and once I tune into our chosen channel I activate my microphone. "No fair, you cheated, distracting me like that."

Her mischievous giggle starts out her response. _{All's fair in love and war. You let yourself get distracted.}_

" _Evil_ woman! But that's why I love you." I joke right before I turn over the engine, leaving it to idle as I fasten my harness.

Pressing a simple button I change over to the traffic control net. "Crossroads, this is Foxtrot India one-one and India one-two, requesting permission to take off for a northern departure from the pattern. Over."

 _{This is Crossroads, You are cleared from the tower. Wait for the launch officer. Crossroads out.}_

I look up at the tower and give a snappy salute to the new captain as he watches us from a balcony. Down on the deck the launch officer steps into his spot by the tower, raising the green flag high above his head before looking across the flight deck, then up at the bridge. Once he's satisfied everyone is out of the way he lunges towards the fore end of the flight deck and drops the flag, giving me the cue to take off.

I drop my flaps to get a little extra lift, then press the throttle forward to the stops, not breaking the wire for Wartime Emergency Power.

I slowly start to roll forward, the extra fuel in the drop tanks weighing me down, but thanks to decent winds I manage to gain enough lift by the end of the deck to avoid that sickening drop that always drives up the pucker factor for several seconds.

Once airborne, I raise my landing gear and ensure my weapons are on 'safe' as I accelerate away from the carrier, into the clear blue skies. I turn on my cameras as always before looking over my wing to find Alice airborne, chasing after me.

"Crossroads, Foxtrot India one-one and one-two exiting the pattern. See you in a couple hours, over."

 _{Copy that. Enjoy your date. Crossroads out.}_

I switch back over to our channel and squeak my microphone to let her know I'm back while entering a gentle left-hand turn, orienting my nose towards Yokosuka. I throttle back and decrease my rate of climb, then settle in for a nice and relaxing flight.

* * *

Almost an hour later Alice and I fly wingtip-to-wingtip, fifteen thousand feet above the ocean below. Over the nose I can see Yokosuka down below, most of the buildings floating atop the water.

I scour the docks until I find the small, narrow form of the Canadian submarine.

"Damn. There's no safe way for me to do this unless I fly under the crane arms… well, this ought to be fun…" I mutter to myself, pressing the channel selection on my radio. "Well, you ready to spook some submariners?"

 _{Always! How are we going to do this?}_

"We're gonna swing 'round so that we can fly along the length of the docks. I'd rate the pucker factor at a solid ten-point-five. You don't have to follow me in if you don't want to."

 _{I don't know about that… it seems excessively dangerous.}_

"I'll be fine, I promise. I take it you'll stay up here?"

 _{Yeah. Just… be careful.}_

"Always."

I neutralize all of my trim and drop the nose, applying a miniscule amount of right rudder to slip under Alice's plane. Once clear of her I check the amount of fuel still in my drop tanks before turning to line up with the small corridor between the cranes and the ships.

Once I'm lined up I angle in, watching my speed carefully as I continuously adjust my position.

"I'm probably going to get an asschewing for this, but whatever." I chuckle into my microphone.

 _{I'd imagine so. It's not too late to wave off you know.}_

"Sure it is! Because I'm not waving off. It's time to put the fear of God in some Canadians."

I hear her snort in amusement before she turns her microphone off, and in the last throes of the screaming power-dive I push up to full power, pulling up to fly into the small gap between the ships and the dock cranes. Going low and fast my muscles all feel coiled, and adrenaline surges through my veins as I fly past the first four ships, one of which being the USS Portland, and buzz the HMCS Rainbow, along with the destroyers Harekaze, Johnston, and Laffey. I let out an enthusiastic cheer as I clear the end of the docks and pull up, climbing up and away before circling back around. On board the Portland, Laffey, and Johnston the sailors-in-training all jump and wave enthusiastically, presumably cheering me on for my ballsy display.

On board the Harekaze however, it looks like a mixed bag. Some wave enthusiastically, jumping with joy, while some shake fists and flip me the bird. Aboard the Rainbow it's noticeably quiet, and I draw the conclusion that those cursing me on the Harekaze are the Canucks.

Chuckling, I turn my microphone back on and break out of my orbit to rejoin with Alice. "All of our students liked it, but I don't think the Canadians like me anymore."

 _{You're crazy.}_

"You love it."

 _{Yes… Yes I do.}_ She sighs.

"Well then, shall we start our picnic?" I joke, looking down at the small package of food that's tucked underneath my leg, partially wedged against the seat.

 _{I think we shall.}_

Together, as we fly above the Japanese countryside, passing over ocean and island alike, we continue to talk about anything other than the rodent problem at sea. Then, after we run out of things to talk about, we fly in silence, simply enjoying each other's presence.

And as we fly over Mount Fuji and begin our leg out to sea, I can't help but look at the poem taped to an empty space on my instrument panel.

 _I have no fear, for in the sky I run._

 _With my angel, whose job is fun._

 _It's never dull, and always thrilling._

 _And I thank my luck he isn't billing._

 _For when I fly, then I'd always dread._

 _The flight where I'd turn up dead._

 _So thanks to you, my white-winged Mister._

 _Thanks to you, from my younger sister._


	5. Chapter 5: Decorations, past and present

_**[A/N]: Here's the next chapter y'all! Let's hear what ships y'all want to see for the mentioned other schools!**_

 _ **As always, Goodalwayswins98 is writing the Canadian's perspective, and I'm writing that of the Americans.**_

 _ **With that said, let's get reading!**_

* * *

 _ **Danielle Schumer,**_

 _ **Octob**_ _ **er 3rd, 0830**_

 _ **Location: Yokosuka Naval Hospital**_

 _ **Status: Recently discharged. Awaiting Jack Schumer's arrival.**_

I'm sitting on a bench out front of the hospital when I hear Jack's voice getting closer, along with Instructor Gleaves.

"Yes ma'am, I promise it won't happen again while we're in port."

"Good. I don't give a damn if you do it out on the open ocean, but your stunt a few days ago has the program directors all practically climbing over each other yelling for me to shitcan your ass. The only thing that's saved you so far was your rescue that you did last year. If not for that then you'd already be on a plane back to the states."

"Understood. I'll behave myself until we head out again."

"And then?" I hear our instructor chuckle. It sounds like they're right around the corner.

"All bets are off, ma'am."

The instructor laughs heartily as the both of them round the corner, and when Jack lays eyes on me he raises an eyebrow. "And what do you think you're doing out of bed missy?"

"Getting discharged. That's what." I snip back before raising my arm and saluting instructor Gleaves. "Good to see you instructor."

She salutes me back as they stop in front of my bench. "Good to see you too Captain Schumer. Are you well enough to leave the hospital?"

"Yes ma'am. I've got my discharge papers with me." I respond with a nod.

"Excellent. Shall we go?"

"I think we shall."

* * *

 _ **Huynh, Kinh-Luyên,**_

 _ **October 3rd, 0900**_

 _ **Location: Yokosuka Docks**_

 _ **Status: Assisting other crews**_

"Where the hell's Justin!?" Kinh shouted. He was standing on the deck of the Portland while his crew was moving around the heavy cruiser. The joys of being a small crew on a small sub was that things could get done quickly.

Unfortunately, getting things done quicker meant free time that the higher ups could have a crew use elsewhere. In the case of the Rainbow, with the recent skirmishes and damaged ships coming in, that meant they were helping out other crews. In this case, it was the Portland. After having replaced their devastated #2 8-inch turret, the ammunition was found to be scorched, resulting in said ammunition being removed. As such, the hundreds of 300 pound projectiles were hard to move with the limited crew, so the captain of the Portland sent out a plea for help, and among many, the Rainbow's crew happily answered the call.

The Canadian captain suddenly heard a familiar, formal voice answering him.

"Well sir, he and his team are in the engine room helping with inspections and maintenance." reported Oliver. "Remi and the torpedo room crew are helping with the shell loading."

"Considering just how beefy those guys are, it'll be good help."

The two heard footsteps approaching behind them. Turning back, they recognized the dark skinned captain of the Portland, Mike Andersen. A rather tall boy, he had an easy going expression and eyes that shone with intelligence.

"Captain Andersen," greeted Oliver before being met by a salute.

"Captain Huynh, First Mate Archer," he replied before shaking hands with his counterpart, "I wanted to thank you guys for the help here."

Kinh shrugged.

"Eh, it's the least we can do," he replied with a smile, "You did hold off the Kumano while we were picking up the Independence's crew. If you guys weren't there... well I don't want to think about it."

Andersen nodded in approval.

"Aye, I can understand that. With everyone's help, we'll be seaworthy by the end of the day," he said with praise in his voice.

"We'll need every ship we can," Oliver chimed in, "If during the last RATt incident, they had so much trouble with a force of destroyers and three battleships, imagine the nightmare if we had to deal with a dozen ships gone rogue with a pair of carriers amongst them."

The two captains' faces frowned seriously. The situation didn't look good on paper. The sea was vast thus easily hiding the missing ships.

"I took the initiative of radioing our ships training with the Aussies and Kiwis to come and help us." Andersen reported , "They're a couple of days out though."

"It'll even out the odds," Kinh replied thoughtfully, "I heard that a few destroyers have left Vancouver but it'll be almost 20 days for them to get here if the weather's good."

"Yeah. I'm sure you saw the Santa Fe coming into port. She's almost done getting her deck fixed up, and a couple more ships have anchored out by the Monterey as a QRF."

"Good news to hear," Oliver added, "The British Pacific Fleet just detached some of their ships this morning. The Ark Royal alongside the Repulse, Renown, King George V, some escorts and some of their support ships," He paused to calculate,"They'll be here by next week."

Kinh blew a sigh of relief.

"Good news. With that many ships heading out, we should be able to contain this mess quickly." Andersen remarked while his comrades nodded in approval.

A shout from out of the crewmembers suddenly got their attention. Looking at the person, it was someone from the former Meredith.

"It's Danielle!" she shouted happily, waving enthusiastically towards the dock where she had seen the Meredith's captain accompanied by her brother. Before anyone could say anything, they saw Kinh bolt off the Portland towards the two siblings.

* * *

 _ **Danielle Schumer,**_

 _ **October 7th, 0904,**_

 _ **Yokosuka docks, Pier 5,**_

 _ **Status: Walking to the Harekaze with Jack Schumer.**_

"-and then as he's on final approach the dumbass fuckin' _stalls_ his plane a hundred feet off the water. What an idiot!" My brother rants about one of the pilots aboard the Monterey as we walk. It's just usual banter, but it's a welcome change to him constantly worrying about me.

We're just passing pier five when a voice calls out from aboard the USS Portland.

"It's Danielle!"

I recognize the voice of a girl from Gunnery, who would man the AA guns remotely, and when I look over I see her waving at me. I slowly raise my arm to flash a peace symbol as a familiar figure bounds down the gangway onto the dock and runs over.

"MON OSTIE DE TABARNAK! CRISSE M'A T'EN CALISSER UNE MON CHIEN SALE!" Kinh shouts with his a finger outstretched and rather redfaced, "FUCK YOU TU REFAIS PUS JAMAIS ÇA CALISSE!"

"Calm the fuck down Frenchie, I don't speak frog!" Jack laughs, putting his right hand in his jacket pocket.

"Go fuck yourself asshole," Kinh retorts angrily, "That was not cool."

"Did you even look around you? All of the other crewmembers were cheering!" My brother chuckles in amusement. I look between the both of them, confused as can be.

"Urgh, whatevs asshole."

"Is there something I'm missing here?"

Kinh turns his attention to me and begins to talk.

"It just happens so that your brother decided to buzz us while we visiting the Harekaze! Gave us a good scare."

"...Ooookay…? So he did a low pass, big deal, he used to do that shit all the time back home."

The Canadian shoots me a dirty look.

"I may have been _under_ the cranes." Jack chuckles. "And don't blame me just because you got scared. I only know of one thing other than you and your crew that has truly gotten scared by a flyby, and can you guess what?"

"What?"

Jack leans in with a cocky grin so he's only a foot or so away from Kinh's face before responding.

"Sheep."

"Fuck you!"

"Hey if you insist, name the time and place!"

"I give up," groans Kinh before smiling, "Happy to see you back on your feet though Danielle."

"Yeah… it's uh… good to be out of the hospital. How's everything been 'round here? Have my crew been helping around?"

Kinh looks back at the Portland and points to one of the turrets.

"They helped rebuild the number two 8-inch turret as well as reloading the shells for that thing. The ammo got scorched during the last battle off Iwo Jima. Been making themselves real useful actually."

"Good. Care to accompany me to the Harekaze?" I ask him as my brother excuses himself and walks around the Canadian, heading towards the gangplank onto the Portland.

"Let's go then." Kinh replies.

I continue walking down towards the Harekaze, and Kinh takes position beside me. I hear yelling on the Portland, and look over my shoulder to see Jack exchange a high-five with one of the Portland's officers. Confident he's not going to get into a fight I continue, and as we reach the Harekaze, Allison yells enthusiastically from aboard the ship.

"Dani's back!"

I smile and walk up the gangplank in front of Kinh, taking my hat off and saluting the ensign before addressing my enthusiastic First Mate.

"Hey Allison. It's good to see you."

I can tell tears are gathering in her eyes, and she dashes forward, hugging me. In doing so, my left side aches, and I pat her on the head while she babbles on and on about how worried she was, how no one was telling her anything about my condition, blah blah blah. Eventually the discomfort in my side turns to actual pain, and I shut her up by kissing her forcefully on the lips, my heart fluttering excitedly while doing so.

"Are you done now?" I ask after disengaging, my voice little more than a whisper.

"Y-y-yeah."

"Good, now let go. Because this _really_ hurts."

She quickly pulls out of the hug, apologizing repeatedly before I get tired of her talking and grab her chin, pulling her into yet another kiss to shut her up.

After pulling away I put one hand on her shoulder. "Go gather the rest of the Meredith's crew. Instructor Gleaves wants us up at the school by 1030. I don't know what for, but it's important."

"Y-y-yes ma'am." She stammers, her mind probably still reeling from the two kisses.

"Good. Go." I order before spinning her around and giving her a friendly but highly encouraging slap on the backside. She yelps and jumps, but quickly jogs across the deck to an open bulkhead, where she promptly disappears.

With a giggle I turn around to find Kinh with his mouth slightly open, looking incredibly surprised at what he just saw.

"You'll catch flies like that you know. Anyway, I'm done here, so let's get going."

"You yanks are crazy." he groans before attempting to recompose himself, "Wonder what's going on with Gleaves though? Also, you heard the news?"

"What news? I haven't been told anything other than my orders and the stunt Jack played."

Kinh straightens out his shoulders before talking.

"Well, current news is that we're getting reinforcements," he states, "Lots of it, the Aussies, Brits, Kiwis, along with more American and Canadian ships. They're slowly trickling in by the end of the week."

"Oh, cool. I wonder what ships the Commonwealth are sending?"

"Well, the Brits have detached a couple of battleships and a carrier along with some escorts. NDHQ is detailing additional destroyers to the area. Same for the Aussies and Kiwis though I heard they might send the HMAS Australia and a couple of light cruisers." he listed, "I heard that some bigger American ships are coming in soon too."

As we walk back up the dock towards the Portland I see Savannah walking with one of the submariners.

"That lucky motherfucker," Kinh mutters looking at me, "Don't recognize him?"

I squint for a second before realizing who it is.

"No… I… actually… is that Al?"

"Yup… must be a hockey player thing." The Canadian remarks dryly.

"I'm honestly not surprised. She seemed kinda… dreamy, after all the excitement from the air attack was over."

"Funny… Al didn't show any sign of having a crush," Kinh chuckles, "Guess he likes his privacy."

He waves quickly at his friend along with a quick eyeblink.

Feeling bad for having to end their fun I walk up to Savannah, who lets go of Al's hand before gently hugging me. "Glad to see you up and about."

"Thanks. I'm sorry to bother you two lovebirds, but the entire crew of the Meredith needs to be up at the school by ten-thirty."

She pulls apart from me and gives me a salute. "I'll start to get everyone together!"

I can't help but smile, and I slowly return the salute, wary of my aching ribs. "Thanks."

With a renewed enthusiasm she grabs Al's hand and drags him off towards the Portland.

"Have fun guys!" Kinh calls out with a smile. "It's fun to see happy things going on despite everything eh?"

"Yeah. I hope Al can keep up with her enthusiasm though. She's always hyperactive."

Kinh merely laughs at this.

"He'll keep up. Guy has a lot of fire in him. Anyhow, gotta head back to my boys and instructor. Olson wants a private word with me."

"Alright. Take care, see you later."

* * *

 _ **Huynh, Kinh-Luyên,**_

 _ **October 7th, 1000,**_

 _ **HMCS Rainbow, Captain's quarters**_

 _ **Status: Meeting with Instructor Olson**_

Aboard the almost empty Rainbow, there was barely a sound.

Save for the sound of pacing boots.

' _What's going on?'_ Kinh wondered. Usually, Olson wasn't the type to keep info to himself. Maybe the young captain had messed up somehow?

His pacing quickened at this thought.

"Calm down Kinh!" Olson boomed, "You're not in trouble."

Kinh almost jumped out of his boots.

"Wha-? How did-?"

The older instructor merely shook his head and began talking reassuringly.

"I've been training officers for a long time now and you're doing good Kinh. You're not in trouble kid. No, it's about what's going to happen next."

"What's gonna happen?" the young captain asked with a raised eyebrow.

Olson sighed wearily.

"The RATt resurgence has made the Japanese Bloomers rather nervous. They're setting up a special, temporary command to deal with the crisis."

"Ok…"

"The brass back home just assigned the Rainbow and the other subs to that command until the end of the year… or if the crisis ends before."

Kinh paused for a moment before he realized something.

"Wait… does that mean we're not transferring back for Christmas!?" he exclaimed.

Olson pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed wearily.

"Exactly."

"Urgh, fucking shit!" the captain swore on for a few instants while Olson merely looked on.

"Welcome to the service son." he said, "These things happen all the time."

Kinh merely looked at him sadly.

"I guess we can't avoid it eh?"

' _Guess my luck ran out this time.'_

Olson merely shook his head but Kinh brightened up lightly.

"It's gonna look good on my resume though!"

He was met with a smile.

"That's how you're supposed to see things. Now keep this quiet for the time being alright?" The Instructor demanded, "Brass and the PM back home want to do a big show of it."

"Oh good lord…"

He heard snickering from Olson.

"On a happier note, Captain Schumer's getting decorated later today at the Parade Grounds. I just got the invitation for you and the rest of the boys," the older man said warmly.

"I'll send out a message for everyone and I'll head over to assist," Kinh replied as he grabbed his phone.

' _Knowing Al… he's probably already heading there with his girl.'_

* * *

 _ **Danielle Schumer,**_

 _ **1030 hours, Oct 7th,**_

 _ **Yokosuka Girls High School parade grounds,**_

 _ **Status: At parade rest**_

As we stand in ranks by duty assignment, I stand in front of everyone, watching Instructor Gleaves as she sums up the events leading up to the sinking of our ship. She stands up on a podium, addressing the scores of people assembled to watch this ceremony… whatever its purpose.

" _Despite all of these events, Captain Danielle Schumer remained as the last person aboard, and only accepted medical treatment once her entire crew was aboard the Harekaze."_ With that, she waves me up onto the podium. I maintain the smooth movements expected of us during parade. Once I get up to her, one of the Japanese instructors presents a case to Gleaves, and almost instantly I know what's happening. She opens the case and removes a small medal from inside.

"For dedication and selfless action in the face of peril, I present you with a Blue Mermaids service star." She announces, moving to pin it on my uniform. My _borrowed_ uniform. In a moment she takes note that it's borrowed, and grabs my left hand, placing the medal in my palm before curling my fingers around it.

After she steps away, I let my left hand drop to my side and raise my right hand into a salute, allowing a slight wince when the pain in my side flares up from the sudden movement. In return, Gleaves takes a large envelope from the podium and hands it to me before turning to the microphones on the podium.

" _From this point on, class fourteen of Seattle Naval Academy, formerly the Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer USS Meredith, is in control of the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Black. This assignment is active immediately in preparation for a rescue operation from the RATt menace. All students from any ships in harbor are invited to a pre-operations feast."_

At the operation notice I hear some murmuring in the crowd, and Gleaves gives me the salute that dismisses me to return to my shipmates.

Turning, I smoothly walk down the stairs to my spot in front of the ranks of my classmates and revert back to parade rest, waiting through the rest of her speech. Once the ceremony is over we march out, off the parade grounds to an outbuilding for the Japanese school. There, we all change out of our borrowed uniforms and back into our casual clothes, bundling up the uniforms to return them to whoever we borrowed them from.

"Alright everyone! First orders of business! Return any borrowed uniforms and we'll report to the student supply ship! With any luck they'll have uniforms for us."

A cheer is all the confirmation I need as I zip up my gray hoodie, stuffing the medal in my jeans pocket before grabbing the bag containing the uniform and setting out.

Outside a small group of people waits. Mostly friends, or some people we borrowed uniforms from. I spot Jack standing towards the back of the group, talking with some sailors from the Santa Fe while Alice stands practically plastered to his side, making it _very_ clear that they're together. I give the uniform back to its original owner, the navigation officer for the Santa Fe, and walk over to them, catching the last part of him talking.

"The USS Velocity picked us up about an hour later, but my damn plane was almost submerged from all the people that were hanging off of it."

"And then?"

"Man, the fuck you mean "and then"? That was it, I got taken back to the Monterey with my plane and continued with the exercise once they got it drained out."

"How'd they sucker you into telling that story?" I ask, walking up to him and getting wrapped up in a firm but cautious hug.

"There she is! Congrats on the decoration and the new ship!" Jack chuckles, ruffling my hair.

I grumble and try to push his hands away. "Hi! Now answer my question please!"

In return, he chuckles more, releasing me with a big grin on his face.

"One of 'em recognized me from the paper."

* * *

 _ **Huynh, Kinh-Luyên,**_

 _ **1106 hours, Oct 7th,**_

 _ **Yokosuka Girls High School parade grounds,**_

 _ **Status: Spectating the ceremony**_

Ever since the beginning of the ceremony, the Canadian captain was spacing in and out. He was not surprised at his American counterpart's reward. Her hard work and skill along with her actions had made her more than worthy of her medal. He was quite happy to see the Meredith's crew become the crew of the Black. Next to him stood Al, Remi, and Oliver. The three boys had various expressions. Al and Oliver had serious looks on their face though the watch officer was keeping an eye out for his girl. Remi had his usual indifferent look on his face. Listening intently to Gleaves' speech, he knew why she was talking of difficult times ahead.

The RATt infection was no joke. Last time was already bad enough with all those sunken or damaged ships. With what Olson told him… he could forget relaxing for awhile. He already expected a worried message from his mother not to mention sleepless nights of planning.

The pre-ops feast was a welcome surprise though he wondered what he and his crew could contribute.

"Well this'll be fun," Remi remarked sarcastically, "Woohoo. So cool. Fuck this shit."

Al shook his head in annoyance.

"This sucks but we both knew what we were getting into," he said, "It's how this shit is so stop complaining."

Remi merely grunted at this. Oliver cleared his throat.

"There's a bright side to this," he stated seriously, "We'll get plenty of real experience on our boat and it'll look good on our papers."

Kinh merely rolled his eyes at this.

' _The things we do sometimes urgh.'_

He cleared his throat and looked around to see if anyone in the crowd around was paying attention to them before motioning for his officers to come closer. As they did, Al had a questioning look on his face.

"What's going on bro?"

Kinh looked around another time before whispering in a serious tone.

"Listen, Olson called me back to the Rainbow earlier. When Gleaves was talking about tough times… well I got more info from Olson. Turns out the situation's bad and the Blue Mermaids are setting up a special command to stop the RATt."

"So what?" Remi grunts with a raised eyebrow.

"We're stuck here until the mission's or the year's over. No going home for Christmas." Kinh explains flatly. Al's jaw drops while Oliver is shocked silent.

"What? Are you serious?" he asked with disbelief. "Can they do that?"

Kinh nodded as he kept an eye on his surroundings.

"Frankly… I've got no idea but Olson told me that after a meeting he had."

Various discreetly whispered swears were heard. The four had long faces at the news, and their grim mood only worsened when they heard a frustratingly familiar voice whisper behind them.

"Say, that's quite the secret there captain. You really ought to seal those loose lips."

"Aww tabarnak man… where the fuck did you come from?" Kinh groaned as he saw Jack appear behind his officers and wrapping his arms around them..

"For a captain you really oughta pay better attention to your surroundings. I've been standing right behind you this whole damn time."

Kinh merely looked defeated and tired.

"Urgh… how did you… eh fuck it, I don't even want to know."

In response Jack merely chuckled.

"Just do me a favor and keep it dead."

"Of course. Next time make sure you're not in a crowd though. Loose lips sink ships and all that."

Kinh merely answered with a thumbs up.

"Thanks man. Highly appreciate it," he said seriously before changing his tone, "You must proud of your sister though!"

"She did good work. I'm just glad she didn't do anything too foolish like I did." Jack replied with a shrug and a chuckle. "Anywho, I'm gonna go meet them after they get changed. Catch you fellas later."

"Foolish eh?" asked Kinh, "Anyhow see you later man."

His friends waved Jack with weary looks except for Oliver who looked puzzled.

"Who was that guy?"

Kinh merely slumped and let out a sigh.

"That was Jack Schumer. He's the brother of Danielle Schumer over there," He then paused and looked even more annoyed and dejected, "He's also the fucking idiot who buzzed us twice. Remember just outside of Vancouver and while we were docked here?"

Oliver nodded.

"Him both times." Kinh finished tiredly, "Still, I wonder if there's not more to the man."

"What do you think he meant by 'anything foolish'?" Al wondered aloud. Remi looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Meh, who cares," grunted Remi. "As long as he doesn't bomb us or anything, why should we care?."

"Eh. It's just odd. I'll ask Savannah about it later." Al replied before looking at a despondent Kinh, "Just cheer up man. Don't let him get to you."

"Aight bro," was Kinh's unenthusiastic answer.

Looking at his captain's mood, Oliver couldn't help but feel bad.

"Uh guys… would you like to go have lunch?" he asked hesitantly. Three pair of eyes turned towards. "It's okay if you guys don't want eh?"

His colleagues looked at each other before Kinh answered.

"Eh… you know what? Let's go man," Kinh said plainly, "We need it."

The boys were starting to head off until Remi remarked something.

"Uhh anyone knows a good place to eat around here? I don't like sushi and seafood makes me puke."

Kinh and Al looked at him sheepishly while Oliver was reaching for his phone while muttering "Give me a second".

"You fellers look lost." A feminine voice sounded from outside of their small circle, sporting a Texan twang.

"Uh yeah. Well not really," replied Al.

As they all turned around they laid their eyes on a tall beauty of a woman, sporting a green shirt under a leather jacket. Her long hazel hair was braided and pulled over her right shoulder, and as she stopped she stuck one hip out.

"Huh… are you from Texas?" Kinh asked. He had heard that accent before.

"As a matter of fact I am. Y'all seen Jack Schumer 'round here?"

Groans could be heard from Al, Kinh and Remi.

"Yeah, I've been to Texas twice so I'd recognize the accent anywhere," Kinh finally replied, "As for Jack, well yeah a few moments ago. But why do you ask?"

"Gotta make sure he doesn't get into trouble with some Submariners. Y'all need directions or not?"

"Yeah we do," Al said. "We're-"

"We're the submariners in question!" Kinh interrupted, "Dude's been buzzing us for no reason twice."

"There's a place two platforms over thataway that'll make whatever you ask, so long as it ain't too exotic." She said, pointing past the moorings.

"Right, thank you very much," Al replied.

"Unless if burgers are exotic, we should be fine," Remi added gruffly.

"Aighty. Y'all have a good'n." She said as she started walking away before pausing and looking over her shoulder with a teasing grin. "By the way, one a y'all has a good hustle goin' on. I saw you get down that conning tower."

The Canadians merely looked at her in confusion. Kinh's mind was racing to decipher the Texan lingo.

"Eh? I'm afraid I don't understand what you meant there miss." Oliver said politely.

"I'm Jack's wingman. Name's Alice. Nice to meet you." She replied with a giggle as she continued walking away. The Canadians began walking away as well. Once she was out of earshot, Kinh whispered to his friends as he led the way.

"Well I can understand why they like each other…"

Remi and Al both snorted and nodded. Oliver merely remained silent. Making their way through the crowds, they could see various uniformed students. They recognized the familiar ones of the American, Canadian and Yokosuka crews but it was their first time seeing the German crews' pink one.

Al decided to get Remi's attention towards those uniforms by poking him in the ribs.

"Yo… I'd think you'd look good in that. Really brings out your face and body man."

Remi snorted "Uh unh" before talking in a falsetto voice.

"You think so? I'd think it'd make my butt look fat. I also think I don't have the hair for it."

As the exchange of banter continued, Oliver merely looked confused.

"Uh Kinh?" he asked uncertainly, "Are they…?"

"No, they aren't gay with each other," his captain interrupted with a short laugh, "They've been acting like that since they met at the beginning of the Academy."

Oliver's brow furrowed.

"Oh?"

Kinh's face took a nostalgic expression as he remembered the happy memories as the group kept walking through the crowds, smelling the smell of food.

"Me and Al lived on the same street since we were nine. Went to the same schools and program since ever." he said, "As for Remi, met him on my first day of my second year in the Cadet program. Essentially, I was talking about an RTS I was playing with the other cadets and he barged in to talk about his strategies for winning that game."

His story finished as they arrived at the restaurant. Large posters in the windows showed familiar foods such as burgers and fries while the familiar greasy smell of fast food filled the nostrils of the hungry boys. The sounds of growling stomachs could be heard as they lined up to order.

Kinh and Al both ordered cheeseburgers with fries and drink while Oliver ordered a couple of hot dogs along with the same sides. When it was Remi's turn however…

"So what would you like in your hamburger?" asked the employee.

"Ketchup." he grunted.

"Anything else sir?" she said with a professional smile.

"Onions."

"Alright. What else?"

"Onions." he replied in his usual deadpan voice.

"Something else?"

"Onions."

This would continue on a couple of times before Remi was satisfied with the amount of onions in his burger. His two friends had already sat down by then with Oliver having followed them.

"So whrt dr yer dr in your frer trme whrle you werr back in Canada?" Kinh asked with half-chewed food in his mouth.

"Kinh," Al groaned and looked at Kinh in annoyance, "People don't understand what you say when you talk with your mouth full."

Remi merely chuckled as he took another bite of his onion burger. After swallowing his bite, Kinh tried again.

"All right, sorry about that. So what do you do to kill time back in Canada?"

Oliver was a bit surprised but took on a nostalgic face.

"Well si-, I mean Kinh, I used to play the piano." he answered wistfully.

"Oh nice."

Al cut in.

"Remi here used to play piano."

Oliver looked at the torpedo officer with surprise. He was the last person that he could see playing a piano.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Remi said flatly as he looked at his fingers, "Used to play it until my 3rd year of academy. Ran out of time cause of schoolwork and had to choose between the piano and the drums."

"I miss playing though," the first officer said, "Haven't had a chance since we left."

Kinh looked at him and noticed the nostalgia in his eyes.

"Yeah kind of sucks eh?" the captain finally said, "If we're lucky, there might be a piano at the feast."

"Yeah."

"What about you guys?" Oliver tentatively.

"Well, video gaming's my big thing…" Kinh started.

* * *

 _ **Danielle Schumer**_

 _ **1628 hours, Oct 7th,**_

 _ **Location: Yokosuka Girls High School mooring facility, pier 14**_

 _ **Status: exploring the USS Black, DD-666**_

"Hey Cap! They've even got us fitting uniforms in the crew quarters! Name tags and everything!" Charles yells from the deck, throwing a friendly wave my way. The engine mechanic has a bad tendency to walk around on deck with his shirt off, showing off his bulging muscles while he relaxes in the sun, but I'm not complaining, it helps the time pass faster.

"Yeah I saw! You guys got everything ready to rock and roll down below?!"

"You bet we do! How long 'till the feast?!"

I look down at my watch briefly. "Three hours!"

"Thanks Cap! See you in a bit!"

With that he heads back belowdecks, leaving me to head up to the bridge.

"Everything okay in here?" I ask, walking through the bulkhead.

"Yep! All good!" Allison chimes back, handing Savannah her tablet.

"Full ammunition stores, they've pulled out most of the practice ammunition and have replaced it with live ammo. We've got full fuel stores too." Savannah reports dutifully.

"Thank you. Is there any issue with the extra gun turret?"

"Nope. The fore assistant gunner, Archie, he volunteered to take the spot."

Smiling I walk further into the bridge, finding Serena and Justin relaxing by their stations.

"Hey Cap'. We're all settled in. What's next on the agenda?" Justin asks, standing up straight.

"Relax for a bit, but be ready for the feast. We leave by 1800."

"I'll spread the word to navigation." Serena responds, starting towards the door.

"And I'll spread the word to gunnery." Justin follows behind her.

"Hey, tell Archie I said thanks for stepping up and taking the empty role."

"He didn't want to. I had to bribe him so we didn't have to bring in someone new." Justin chuckles, disappearing down the stairwell.

"Oh God damn it. Here comes the three stooges and Savannah's boyfriend." Allison groans, looking out the front windows of the bridge at the pier. Savannah almost instantly stuffs her tablet in her satchel and takes off, clearing the entire flight of stairs with one jump.

"Gee, I wonder if she's excited to see Al?" I joke, straightening my new captain's cap and starting down the stairwell.

Out on the deck I walk to the rail just in time to see Savannah hit Al in a flying hug, barely phasing the bulky Canadian.

"More and more people are starting to like the Canadians. The radio's buzzing about them."

Looking over my shoulder I find Emma, one of the radio operators.

"Really? How so?"

"They're proving to be more helpful than people thought they'd be. The HMCS Grilse is out by the Monterey, ready for QRF. They helped fish a pilot out of the water a couple days ago, and have been helping with inspecting and directing inbound cargo vessels."

"Huh…"

"Anyway, that's not why I came out here. Message from the board of instructors, addressed to you specifically." She says, offering me a folded piece of paper. I take it and unfold it, skimming over it before folding it four times and putting it in my uniform's breast pocket.

I thank Emma and she walks back over to the radio room, disappearing with a wave. I turn around and watch the Canadians approach, mulling over the message in my mind, which basically said "hey, by the way, we're going to be doing a thing, and you're going to pay a big role in it, so be ready!".

Grumbling I make my way over to the gangplank and wait as the Canadians mosey over, Savannah having somehow managed to sucker Al into giving her a piggyback ride while Kinh merely rolls his eyes at their antics, a small hint of jealousy in his eyes.

"Permission to come aboard?" Kinh asks, tucking his cap under his arm.

"Sure, why not." I respond, stepping aside and allowing them up onto the deck. "You boys ready for the feast later?"

"Oh yeah," the Canadian captain answers with a grin, "We got a little surprise for you guys."

"So do we. I think you Canucks will like it. Anyways, what do I owe your visit to?"

"Wanted to see the new ship you got," Kinh replies as he looks around the ship, "Though you're a lot braver than I am… DD-666," he adds with a small shudder.

"Well nothing bad has happened yet, so maybe it's not a jinxed ship?" I say hopefully, stooping over and knocking on the wooden deck before cracking a joke. "What about you guys and the Rainbow? Anybody suddenly turned gay?"

Al decides to speak up.

"Well Kinh's gay, but we always knew that."

"It's not my fault if I have trouble with the girls!" he splutters as he throws Al a glare that could cut through cemented steel.

"So that's why you were playing with my hands the other day," Remi adds with an evil smile while putting a hand on Kinh's heart, "Well sir, you know that fraternization isn't allowed so our love can never be."

A rather red faced Kinh finally finds his words and starts yelling at them in French while swatting away his friend's hand, giving them what sounds like a pretty thorough verbal lashing before sighing in annoyance.

"Urgh… with friends like these," he groans before muttering, "Not paid enough for this shit."

"We get paid?" Al asks.

"You know what I mean." he answers before turning back to me, "So mind giving us a tour?"

"Sure. Not much looks too different aside from the layout. We haven't had time to decorate."

"No worries there," Kinh replies before Remi clears his throat.

"Yo, you guys still got some of that coffee you gave us?"

I shake my head, leading the way aft towards the radio shack. "Sadly, no. It all went down with the ship."

Remi's shoulders slump a bit.

"Bah… couldn't you guys order some from the US and we pay you back for it?" Kinh suggests from beside me as we walk.

"There might be some on the resupply ship, but I'm gonna need to trade some organs to get it."

Kinh's eyes widen for a second before he answers.

"Yeah never mind then."

"Or I might be able to have Jack use his notoriety to get it…" I hum thoughtfully with a smile. "He could call in a favor."

The Canadians' moods darken for a split second with various looks of annoyance on their faces as I look over my shoulder at them.

"I know, you guys don't like him, but that's the only way I see you getting any coffee. So how bad do you want it?" I raise my voice in irritation, stopping and turning around to look at them all. "And aside from him buzzing you, what's your fucking deal against my brother?!"

At my outburst Savannah shrinks behind Al, even though she knows my anger isn't directed at her.

"Alright geez calm down," Kinh replies, "We'll be nice Canadians and ask him politely to give us some coffee. Just don't expect us to beg on all fours."

"That doesn't answer my question, Captain."

He groans for a second.

"Okay okay, we've been on edge and it's been getting on our nerves alright," he answers with a rather embarrassed look.

"Get your attitudes towards him fixed boys. He's here for the duration." I snip, turning around and walking through the radio room.

"Will do," Kinh replies with his boys straightening themselves out before following him.

"Radio room. Keep following me, mind your heads." I mutter, ducking through a small bulkhead. I clamber down the small staircase and make a turn into the crew quarters, which is much less private than on the Meredith. Simple bunks hold the gunnery crew's stuff, and several of them relax on their bunks

"Still less cramped than the Rainbow," Kinh mutters as he follows close behind me with his boys.

"I know how cramped your sardine tin is, and let me say you ain't seen nothing yet." I respond, grabbing the top of an open bulkhead and swinging through.

"That bad?"

"We've got eight stokers. They've got three large bunks further down below. You tell me."

"Urgh… at least we got enough bunks for everyone and I get a nice bed to myself", Kinh replies with a hint of gratefulness in his voice, "How does the new girl handle though?"

Still bearing a bit of my attitude I turn towards him. "We've had her for all of maybe four hours. You really think we've had time to take her out?"

"Eh true that. Didn't think about that."

I could see his friends roll their eyes behind him.  
Ducking through a side bulkhead I stand aside and let them enter, giving them a good look around the high-tech room. "This is the fire control center. Everything topside that goes 'boom' is controlled here."

Remi nods in satisfaction as he looks around at the various controls.

"This ship looks like it can kill well." he grunts with a disturbing smile.

Everyone from the Rainbow glares at him and groans and I can hear Al mutter a couple of French swears about him.

"We had a room like this on the Meredith too, but it was the opposite direction from the mess hall, so you guys never saw it." Savannah pipes up, standing beside Al.

"No hedgehogs on the Black sadly. I was kinda looking forward to using them." I hum, motioning for everyone to move so I can get out.

"Let's just say we've had enough run in with ASW equipment lately." Kinh comments.

We duck back into the corridor and I point at the bulkhead further down the way. "My quarters are down that way. Same with the other officer's quarters."

"Looks pretty good though," Al comments before turning to Savannah, "Any idea on how you're gonna decorate your room?"

"I've got a couple ideas. I share a room with Allie though, and she's already got it pretty well decorated."

Kinh chuckles.

"Think you'd like to have some of Al's hockey pictures for your wall?"

"Hmmm… Maybe one."

Al merely smiles at this.

"I'll give you an autographed one." he says with a wink.

Savannah giggles back in return, latching onto his arm as I start leading the way further belowdecks.

 _{Captain please report to the Bridge. Captain to the Bridge.}_

Kinh comments upon hearing this.

"Well looks like our time's up eh?"

"I guess so. See you at the feast. Savannah show them out please." I respond, straightening my cap and starting towards the bridge.

"Right! Catch you later Danielle!" Kinh says as he and his crew salute me.

"Later boys."

* * *

 _ **Huynh, Kinh-Luyên,**_

 _ **October 7th, 1715,**_

 _ **HMCS Rainbow, Deck**_

 _ **Status: R &R**_

The soft sound of the wind and waves could be heard at the dock where the Canadian boat was docked. Most of her crew was enjoying shore leave though a small group had remained behind.

"This is the life guys," sighed Kinh as he and three of his colleagues sat around a small table that they had set up. They had prepared some food as well. Seagulls could be heard cawing as well.

"Wish this could last though," the captain continued as he looked at the setting sun. He was met with affirmative answers.

"You know what would be fucked up though," Remi chuckled, "The ending of Das Boot happening to us."

A set of exasperated groans were heard while three pair of eyes glared at the torpedo officer.

"Man, way to ruin the mood," Al replied dryly between bites, "This is worst then that time with Kinh on the bike trail."

Kinh had a look of confusion for a brief moment before realizing what Al was talking about.

"Oh shit… the time with the elephant on a bike?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah bro."

Oliver looked at them with a questioning look with ' _Elephant?'_ in his eyes.

The two proceed to tell their story. Both were enjoying a rest on a bench before a sunset after a long bike ride when they heard the sound of metal squeaking. Looking to the source, they saw a rather well fed woman on a bike that far too small for her girth. Said bike was struggling under her weight.

"...And after she left, we just couldn't take the moment seriously anymore. We just burst out laughing and everytime we went there, we couldn't get that image out of our heads." Kinh explained.

Remi had a smile while Oliver was laughing lightly.

"Hey guys!" A familiar voice pealed from the dock.

"Savannah!" Al exclaimed with a wide grin before bouncing off his chair. The athletic boy ran down from the Rainbow's deck while his friends followed slowly. The redhaired technical officer was in her dress uniform, a stark contrast to the more casual submariners. The American gave her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.

"Ahh Miss Parker!" Kinh greeted, "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great! I got that info you guys wanted, and even I'll say, I've got a whole new respect for Jack."

Both Kinh and Remi yelled in surpris. It somewhat startled Savannah to see the caveman-like boy being surprised.

"What are you talking about?" asked Oliver calmly.

"Permission to come aboard?" the strawberry-haired girl asked in return, tucking her hat underneath her arm.

"Sure, welcome aboard the HMCS Rainbow," Kinh greeted with a salute before pointing her to the deck.

Savannah quickly boarded and retrieved her tablet from its bag on her back, pulling up a tab as the Canadians gathered around. "Last year while on exercises with the Argentinians a cruiser fell victim to a torpedo malfunction, and the practice torpedo exploded, blowing the bottom out of it. He was above with his flight of Hellcats, and upon seeing the survivors in the water with less than six life rafts he crash-landed his plane in the water, allowing them to use it as a flotation device until help arrived."

"TA-BAR-NAK!" Kinh exclaimed followed by other colorful words from Al and Remi.

Oliver's mind ran to understand how Jack had pulled it off.

"Right, the Hellcat had an emergency flotation system on it… what a genius," he said with amazement.

Kinh let out a whistle.

"Guy can be an ass but… holy crap he's a fucking hero too," the captain remarked before realizing something, "Damn, he never said anything about this."

' _Maybe he's a better guy then I thought…'_

"At the time the seas were sporting ten foot swells with eight foot troughs, and he declined a transfer to the USS Midway flying Corsair II's because he "wanted to progress like everyone else"." Savannah continued, looking equally as surprised.

"Shit man," Al said looking at Kinh, "This guy."

"Yup"

Remi looked incredulous and couldn't say anything. He was slightly slumped with his eyes wide as he looked at the tablet.

"Guys… that was the same guy at the ceremony?" Oliver asked with surprise in his voice. It made no sense to him for someone to decline such a promotion.

"Yup." answered Kinh and Al.

"And get this, the dude's also received offers from the Oriskany flying F4U's and from the USS Coral Sea flying F9F's." Savannah finished.

"You know, it's not nice to talk about someone behind their back." Jack grumbled, walking up the gangplank.

"Oh merde…"


	6. Chapter 6: Learning, back to business

**[A/N]: Hey y'all, Sorry for the wait. I won't bore you with excuses.**

 **This is a collaborative story with Goodalwayswins98, he writes the Canadian perspective, I write the American perspectives.**

 **If you like the story, or if you don't, feel free to leave a review! All feedback is welcome.**

* * *

 _ **Jack Schumer**_

 _ **1721 hours**_

 _ **Deck of the HMCS Rainbow**_

 _ **Status: pissed off**_

"So is there any reason in particular y'all looked up my file?" I ask, scowling at the Canadians. "Last I checked, the best way to get to know someone was to talk to them."

"Holy shit man." Kinh mutters, looking at me with a weird look in his eyes. "You're a hero, and you never said anything about what you did."

He then stood up straight, saluting me with a solemn air on his face.

"Hero my ass. They were in trouble, so I helped them." I snap back, stuffing my hands in my jacket pockets and glaring at his salute.

"You put yourself into danger to save others. Is that not what a hero does?" The strawberry-haired girlfriend of one of the Canucks asks.

"News flash, that's what we're supposed to do as Blue Mermaids." I respond, leaning against the conning tower. "I wasn't about to watch those people drown. So I did what was necessary to get them home."

"... How did things go down? I mean, how did things unfold?" The girl asks, scrolling through my file with her tablet.

"You got internet on that thing?"

"Of course."

"Let me see it." I order, holding out my hand. She hands it to me, and I type in my account name, locating the video I'd uploaded from that miserable day in the Atlantic. I pause it on the intro and hand it back, watching them as they gather around to watch it.

* * *

 **August 21st, 20XX**

 **Near the Falkland Islands, Participating in exercises with the Argentine Blue Mermaid Cadet Program.**

 **0948, 5 minutes before the accidental sinking of the _ARA_** _ **General Belgrano** **.**_

* * *

As the video starts to fade in, a familiar pair of eyes look into a camera, behind a pair of aviators goggles. The dull rumbling of the Hellcat's engine can be heard before a younger Jack Schumer looks over his shoulder and turns on a second camera, which then becomes the primary footage being displayed, with the first camera becoming a small window in the top right corner. Then the rumbling of the engine dims as his voice is heard, followed by the replies of his flight.

 _{Vikings, check in.}_

 _{Viking two, on your wing.}_

 _{Viking three, behind two.}_

 _{Viking four, on three's wing.}_

Jack nods in satisfaction as he pulls the camera in front of him off its mounting and fastens it to the side of his flight cap, giving a first-person view to the flight.

 _{Alright. Here's the plan. We're gonna make a lowside run on the General Belgrano after the Sculpin makes a torpedo attack. No rockets, we're just raking the deck.}_

 _{Three, what about the drop tanks?}_

 _{Seal 'em and drop 'em. Don't need the DEQ ***** getting on our asses about leaving a fuel slick.} _Jack replies to Marco, flipping to internal stores before sealing his drop tanks and dropping them. Once they detach he does a quick aileron roll to make sure they're both away before nodding in satisfaction and beginning a left hand bank.

 _{Viking, this is Sculpin. Fish in the water. With any luck we'll get a cheeky immobilization. How copy?}_

 _{Good copy Sculpin. Are we clear to start our attack?}_

 _{That's affirmative. Have fun up there.}_

 _{Many thanks Sculpin. Viking out.}_

Tightening the turn Jack flips a red switch simply labelled 'Master Arm' and descends, dropping below the dense cloud layer into the torrent of rain below. As he pivots in his seat to look over his shoulders the camera on his head gets a good view of the three F6F-5 hellcats in formation with him, and he quickly locates the ship sailing on the choppy ocean below, just as the Anti-Aircraft opens up on his flight.

 _{Spread out.}_ He orders, angling in for the attack. As he lines the ship up in his sights a column of water erupts from the stern, followed by an explosion that buckles the ship's stern, shearing off a third of the Brooklyn-class cruiser.

 _{Jesus christ! Wave off! Wave off!}_ He yells into his oxygen mask, pulling up and right, until he's just below the cloud layer. Then he circles the stricken ship, looking down at it as the stern floats away from the rest of the ship.

 _{Sculpin, this is Viking! Your torpedo has caused critical damage to the Belgrano! Surface at once!}_

The return is only silence, and he gets lower to watch the ship begin to sink quickly, people detaching a couple life rafts and jumping off the side into the water.

 _{Jack, there's stragglers in the water. They don't have enough rafts!}_ Alice cries out, flying low over the ship to survey the situation.

 _{I can see that! I'm trying to think… Marco, keep trying to raise the Sculpin!}_

 _{Got it, but what are we going to do? In swells like that they'll be swamped in no time!}_

 _{Do we have any life rafts?!}_

 _{The small one-person ones, yeah.}_

 _{That's not gonna do it! There's at least a dozen stragglers, and all the rafts are full!}_

Jack looks frantically between the sinking ship and the rafts bobbing in the waves, trying to think of a plan, then he flips a switch on his instrument panel, and there's a 'clunk' as the six HVAR's fall from his plane.

 _{We get any lower on fuel and we'll be in the same situation. You guys head on back to the Monterey.}_

 _{What 'bout you?}_ Alice asks, her plane pulling up on Jack's left wing.

 _{I'm not letting those people drown.}_ He grumbles, using his rudder to cut below her and drop in altitude.

 _{What?! Jack they'll be fine! Let's head back to the Mont'rey and bring back a flight of Avengers with life rafts!}_

 _{They won't get here in time. Those cadets need help now. Get goin'. Viking One out.}_ Jack snips, pulling off his oxygen mask and pressing a button on his radio. He tightens his harness and pulls back on the throttle, dropping his flaps as he slows down for a water landing.

Down in the water ahead orange life jackets can be seen bobbing amongst the waves. Before he touches down he pulls his canopy back, and bottoms out the throttle, feathering the prop before he skips off the crest of a wave. His second attempt is more successful, and he skims to a stop on the surface of the water before the leading edges of his wings open up, inflating to keep the plane afloat.

All along the length of the plane the flotation system inflates, keeping the Hellcat mostly above water as Jack unfastens his harness and pulls out a flare gun, firing a green flare high into the sky. Then he stands up on his seat and starts waving at the cadets bobbing in the water. "HEY! Over here! Come here!"

Sure enough, the figures start swimming towards the downed plane, disappearing behind every wave, then reappearing for a few seconds. After a minute three hellcats fly low overhead, throwing yellow rubber bundles out of their cockpits to land in the water around the plane. The people swimming collect the bundles, and as they reach the plane they begin inflating the single-person rafts. Jack quickly pulls his parachute apart and cuts the risers, using the strands of parachute cord to keep people tied to the plane as more and more show up. The small amount of rafts that were released eventually manage to hand-paddle their way through the towering waves, and they're secured to the plane wherever possible, with people keeping the wounded on the rafts while they get tied together, forming an oddly-shaped box around the plane.

"How many wounded?" Jack asks a cadet with an officer's uniform.

"Six, all belonging to the engine room. We still have two more unaccounted for." He replies with a heavy Argentine accent, breathing heavy from the exertion of swimming in the high swells.

"Who's missing?"

"Damage control people. I ordered them aft when I saw the torpedo was going to hit us."

"Think they could've gotten caught in the blast?"

"It is a possibility, yes."

"I'll send up another flare, but other than that there's nothing we can do but wait." Jack sighs, firing a second green flare into the sky before looking at one of the rafts tied to the fuselage, where the ship's doctor is frantically wrapping a shrapnel wound on the leg of a female cadet.

"Do you need extra medical supplies? I've got a bag full."

"Yes please! I'm running out of bandages!" She huffs back, not looking up from her task.

He turns around in his seat and pulls out a large waterproof red bag from behind his seat, pulling a tether out of it and fastening it to the belt loop of the doctor before passing her the bag.

Then, as he sits back down in his seat, he takes off the camera and secures it to the side of the gunsight before saluting it and turning it and its partner over his shoulder off, ending the video.

The final thing displayed in the video is a picture from the deck of a ship, people and lifeboats tied to the airplane by long pieces of parachute cord, with Jack straddling the engine cowling like a bull, and the Argentine captain sitting in the pilot's seat, both saluting the camera with big grins on their faces as the other cadets hold their arms up, forever cheering in the photo.

* * *

 **Back to the present**

* * *

"If you want to know why I looked you up," Kinh explains nervously, "I didn't really ask for it but some of your comments at the ceremony just made me wonder. Like don't do anything foolish like you? Made me wonder."

Al shakes his head with a somber expression. "If anything, I'm the one who asked Savannah here if she knew anything about you so you're gonna back the fuck off from Kinh alright." he says with a serious tone.

"Alright. I wasn't asking Kinh specifically. Just… keep that info on the down-low. I don't want any rumors flying around that I'm a fucking hero." I reply, adjusting my jacket. "Now you boys gonna stand around with a good lookin' lady wearing grunge clothes, or are you gonna get in your dress uniforms for the feast?"

The Canadians nod in understanding.

"Grunge clothes?" Kinh asks, "We were relaxing before the feast eh?"

I nod in response. "Yeah, but you do realize the feast is in half an hour… right?"

"Don't you worry about us," the Canadian boasts, "We're gonna be alright."

Next to him, Oliver straightens himself out with a worried look.

"Dammit! I got get ready!" he exclaims as he runs towards the conning tower's ladder.

Remi looks at the running first mate in annoyance before yelling at him.

"You know that if you run, you'll start sweating and you'll waste time because you'll need to shower right!?"

Oliver doesn't seem to hear him as he disappeared inside the conning tower.

"Whatever." grunts Remi as he shrugs his shoulders, "I suppose we should go get ready man?"

Kinh and Al nod at this.

"Have fun with that. I'm gonna get goin' to the feast. See you later seamen." I chuckle, walking down the gangplank.

"See you later man." Kinh shouts, "We'll have a nice surprise for everyone at the feast!"

* * *

 _ **Jack Schumer**_

 _ **1813**_

 _ **Yokosuka Girl's High School Gymnasium.**_

 _ **Status: R & R **_

"Alice, Marco's on your six!"

"I know! How're things with Saige?"

"Splash one! On my way to help."

"What?! Aw that is such horse shit! Why do I always get shot down first?!" Saige yells in frustration, stepping out of one of the four flight simulator seats set up.

"Head-on, then you do a low yoyo and I'll go high." I talk to Alice through the flimsy headset.

"Got it. Bringing him your way."

I wing the digital plane over to set up in a head-on pass with Alice and Marco, the latter being my target, and watch her digital Dehavilland Mosquito fly over my canopy before pulling the trigger.

A cry of frustration from Marco is all I need to hear to know I got him, and there's people laughing and clapping all around us, having enjoyed a flight go head-to-head on a flight simulator.

"Jesus christ Marco, you're dumber than I thought!" I laugh, hanging the headset on the joystick and climbing out of the seat.

"I had you dead to rights!"

"Bruh, you tried to head-on a Black Widow in an Oscar. What did you think was going to happen?"

"I was in the one with the twenty millimeters!"

"No, you were in the one with the fifty calibers." Saige corrects with a sigh. "At least I had the brains to take the George."

"Still though, good fight guys." I chuckle.

"Kickin' your asses made me hungry. Come on y'all, let's grab some food." Alice says as she links her arm with mine, pulling me towards the line of tables heaped with food.

As we work our way through the crowd I unconsciously listen in on some of the conversations. Nothing very interesting can be heard, and as we get our plates I look at one of the dishes, sporting a small Canadian flag on a card in front of it, labelled 'Poutine'.

"What the hell is _that_?"

I hear a long sigh of satisfaction and look at it's source.

"Alrighty comme à Montréal!" exclaims Kinh with a grin. Next to him, Remi looks completely dumbstruck while letting a guttural sound. Meanwhile, Al is standing with Savannah and rolls his eyes at their friends' lack of manners.

"This looks like something the chow hall on an auxiliary would whip up in a storm, the fuck did you make?" I ask.

Kinh looks particularly offended. It looks like I've insulted something dear to him.

"That is a poutine. It's a delicious meal made from thick fries, cheese curds and gravy." he explains, "This is the proper recipe… not that garbage that the other provinces make."

". . . Fuck it. I'm gonna give it a try." I grumble, putting some on my plate.

"Hey it doesn't look _too_ bad, at least it looks edible." Marco chuckles, putting some on his plate. "Yo lead, who are these guys?"

"These are the bridge chumps from the HCMS Rainbow. You know that sub we buzzed at the beginning of the year?"

"Yeah… we still remember it eh?" Kinh cuts in between bites of food, "That and the other time as well at Yokosuka."

"Him and Saige there weren't present for that one. Though, I'm pretty sure he was the one you talked to when you were first coming into port."

"Oh shit, that was you? Nice to meet you." says Marco, holding out a hand. Kinh shakes his hand, and then the pilot stabs some poutine with his fork, taking a bite with an intrigued expression. "Ho-lee shit. This actually ain't that bad."

"There's no way. This looks like something you'd see in the head." I grumble, taking a cautious bite. "... Oh my god, that is actually really good…"

It's rather quite salty, fatty and gooey as a meal. Something that would probably stop my heart if I wasn't a pilot.

"See? I told you it's delicious!" Kinh insists proudly, getting a little too loud for my liking, "Trying with corn dogs in it!" A few heads turn towards him after his little outburst.

"Yeah, I got that. Bring your voice down." I snip, taking another bite before looking around. "Y'all seen my sister anywhere?"

Kinh, Al and Remi shake their heads but Savannah speaks up.

"She's over by the dance floor being hit on repeatedly. You might want to go play big brother before a guy gets too daring."

"I agree with you," Kinh adds seriously, "Doesn't look like she likes the attention," he says as he peers towards the crowd.

I sigh and wolf down my food, easily locating my sister and the half-dozen guys talking to her, one of which being a short, mousy-haired submariner. His uniform's insignia shows that he's from the Rainbow' watch crew.

"Kinh, if I whoop the ass of one of your boys, I'm sorry in advance." I grumble, passing my now-empty plate to Alice for safekeeping before I start across the gym, headed straight for my sister. She looks out of place, nervous at the sheer amount of people trying to get her out on the dance floor. Of course, the guys here don't know she doesn't swing their way, which is only going to make this more awkward for her. I feel someone's hand on my shoulder.

"Mind if I give you a hand man?" Kinh asks still holding his poutine.

"That'd be smart. Tell yer boy to stand down." I grumble.

"Alrighty! No worries." he answers as he walks over to his crewmember. He slaps the boy's back with enough strength to make him jump a bit. The Canadian starts talking with him and dragging him away with conversation. Kinh quickly turns and winks at me. I follow up and clap Danielle on the shoulder. "Hey Sis', these fellas annoying you?"

She looks up at me and nods slightly. "Y-yeah… a little."

I turn to the other guys and straighten up, putting my hand in my right jacket pocket where I keep a collapsible baton. "You heard her, get lost."

Most of them scatter with dejected looks while some glare daggers at me.

"Yo, what's your problem man!" asks one of the boys. He's dressed with a Canadian uniform though he isn't from the Rainbow.

"She obviously isn't interested, and you're still trying. That's my problem. Now get outta here."

Another voice cuts in.

"Don't make me call in security." Kinh warns. Flanking him are the bulky figures of Al and Remi. The torpedo officer cracks his knuckles while a scowl graces his face. "You're from the Grilse aren't you?" the captain asks with a very serious tone.

The other Canadian glares at him.

"I'm just trying to have a good time here." he answers defiantly, "Are you jealous?"

"And by 'trying to have a good time' you're ruining someone else's time, now beat it before I beat you." I insist, grabbing the baton in my pocket.

Remi growls lightly in anticipation while a predatory grin starts appearing on his face while Al looks at the offending crewmember with a scowl and death stare, his fists clenched. The next things happen in blur. The other Canadian decides to push me. I barely register what's going on that I hear French swearing next. Remi decides to push back and he doesn't hold back at all.

His target falls to the ground and lands on his ass, just as I pull out my baton and give it a flick, extending it and giving him a good look at it. "Are you fuckin' done now?"

"Calm the fuck down alright!?" he yells as he gets up, showing his empty hands. Next to him, the crew from the Rainbow are all glaring at him. Meanwhile I collapse my baton, placing it back in my pocket. Kinh scrutinizes the troublemaker's uniform, squinting at his nameplate.

"Listen Patrick Turner… If you don't get the fuck out of here, mon tabarnak, I'm making a nice little report to my instructor," he explains with an extremely cold tone.

"Fucking French faggot! Go back to your shithole in Quebec!" Turner growls as he turns away, followed by some of his friends, "That bitch ain't that good looking anyways."

I clench my fists hard enough to make my knuckles pop. "I'm sorry, repeat that one more time, moose-fucker."

I hear some snickering from Kinh, but Turner doesn't turn back and walks away.

"Hey! I'm talking to you motherfucker!" I yell after him, following him towards the doors. I hear brisk footsteps behind me, and turn my head, seeing the Rainbow trio following me. Somehow, Kinh is still holding his poutine.

"Enjoy the party fellas, this is my gig, and mine alone." I snip, continuing my pursuit. "Hey cocksucker, get back here! You're gonna apologize to my sister for that!"

* * *

 _ **Danielle Schumer,**_

 _ **1839**_

 _ **Yokosuka Girl's High School Gymnasium.**_

 _ **Status: R & R **_

Several minutes after Jack persues the Canadian submariner the two come back, the latter sporting a lip that's starting to swell.

"I'm sorry for calling you a bitch, ma'am." He apologizes, standing at parade rest in front of me.

"Apology accepted. Have a good night." I respond, dismissing him as Kinh and his friends walk over, with Savannah holding Al's hand. Turner quickly beats feet in the opposite direction, and my brother sits down beside me, discreetly rubbing his knuckles.

"Want some ice for that?" Kinh asks warmly.

"No thanks. Thanks for the offer though." Jack replies, working the hand a little.

"When did you two kiss and make up?" I ask, looking at them, yet glancing at a cute girl from the USS Alaska.

"Urgh… what is it with the gay jokes?" Kinh groans while his friends appear unamused.

"They all went through my file thanks to your Bosun. It's chill though." My brother responds, following my nervous glances at the girl, then grinning. "See something you like?"

"Maybe… I mean, she's got the looks… but…"

"Wait a minute… Dani… are you…?" Savannah starts to ask, and I answer her question before she fully formulates it.

"Lesbian? Yes."

"The more you learn," Al comments while Remi has his usual uninterested look. Kinh merely nods.

"So?" he asks, "Doesn't change much for me eh?"

Remi scoffs as he grabs some food.

"Of course, it doesn't change anything for you… you never hook up anyways."

The Canadian submariner glares at his torpedo officer.

"That explains so much…" Savannah muses.

"Like what?" Kinh says with a raised eyebrow.

"Like her checking us all out during showers…"

"Oh shit, you noticed that?" I ask as I feel my face heating up in a blush. Kinh and his boys start to snicker.

"And the fact that you were always kinda flirty with Allison…."

"Sounds like someone's out to get laid." Jack snarks.

"Shut up!"

Kinh looks around awkwardly.

"Eh, I'm gonna grab something to drink," he says as he gets up. As he's walking away, he doesn't pay attention and bumps into someone. His poutine flips over and spills all over the white uniform of a Yokosuka academy student, staining it with brown gravy and melted cheese.

"I'm so unlucky," groans Shiro. Standing next to her is Akeno. Both carrying trays with various foods on them.

"Oh… ah… I'm sorry about that Mashiro," Kinh apologizes before trying to change the conversation, "Did you get a new phone thought?"

"Christ, could you get any more clumsy!?" Allison yells from nearby, stalking over.

"I ain't that bad!" Kinh defends as he tries to find napkins, "Besides, she's lucky… it could have been scorching hot!"

"If it were hot at least it'd be easier to clean off!"

Kinh rolls his eyes and groans.

"Yeah but it would've burned her. Clothes are replaceable… not your skin." he replies dryly before turning back to Mashiro, "Sorry about that again, I'll go get some napkins and help you out."

He dashes off, weaving through the crowd to get some napkins, luckily finding some at a nearby table. Making his way back with an awkward smile, he looks at Mashiro who is getting help from Allison.

"Got some napkins here!" he exclaims, "Want a hand wiping off that poutine?"

Mashiro nods but as Kinh moves to clean it off, he accidentally cops a feel at her left breast.

"Uh oh…"

The sound of a slap resonates and is quickly followed by a series of apologies. Along with some laughs from Al and Remi.

"That's why you have no girlfriend!" Al exclaims.

"You know what?" I mutter, getting up while still looking at the girl from the Alaska. "I'm gonna try."

"Good luck." Jack says as I walk over to her, extending my hand in greeting.

"Hi, I saw you on your own, and I was wondering if you wanted to have a dance?"

She sort of jumps in her seat, but looks at me and smiles, nodding.

"I'd love to."

* * *

 _ **Jack Schumer**_

 _ **2013 hours**_

 _ **Leaving Yokosuka School gym**_

 _ **Status: heading to the Monterey Ferry with Alice & Co. Temporarily accompanied by the Rainbow trio. **_

"God damn I'm stuffed!" I groan.

"Did you try that Jambalaya the Alaska's galley made? Hot damn that was good!" Saige yawns.

"Them deep-fried chicken gizzards were pretty good." Alice hums contentedly from her spot on my back, where I'm giving her a rather unprofessional piggyback ride.

We walk along the docks under the streetlights, towards the moorings of the three PBY Catalina flying boats, whose job is to ferry anyone out to the QRF force anchored outside of Yokosuka harbor.

"Say, where's your sister?" Saige asks.

"Beats me, probably got tired and went to the Black." I yawn, starting to feel sleepy from the amount of good food I've had.

"Actually, I saw her leaving with that chick from the Alaska." Marco chuckles. "I think your sister's off getting a piece of ass."

"If she is, good for her." I mutter.

"I never would've thought your sister's a lesbian." Marco laughs. "Do you always have to beat guys off with a stick like that?"

"Oh God, you have no idea. She just can't seem to give them a straight up 'no'."

"It was a fun evening eh?" Kinh remarks with a smile. He's carrying a bottle of lemonade and takes a sip from it, "Enjoyed our food too?"

"It was pretty damn good. I definitely ate my fill of it." Marco yawns, rubbing his belly.

"I might have to get the recipe from you. My parents are missing out." I confirm.

"It was really fun… especially when you got slapped bro!" Al remarks before breaking into laughter with Remi joining in. Kinh blushes furiously at this.

"That was accidental!"

"Like accidentally dropping your poutine on her?" Al snickers.

"Shut up!"

"Calm down y'all." I chuckle before getting more serious. "I reckon this'll be the last time we'll see each other in person for a while. Monterey and all Seattle warships set sail before dawn. Here's the radio frequency we're on. If you need help, or just want to chat, hit us up."

Kinh nods in agreement and takes the piece of paper with our radio frequency on it, tipping his hat in appreciation.

"Indeed, shit's getting real soon," Remi says, "Heard that more ships were being sent in soon."

"Yeah. There's a bunch of Aussie frigates coming up with some cruisers. I got a call from a friend today that Ark Royal is a day out." I hum back before my neck has a pair of slender, yet muscular arms wrapped around it.

"How close were you to this 'friend'?" Alice asks.

"Umm… friends with benefits?"

The arms being moved into a chokehold is enough evidence to prove that telling the truth was probably not the best choice in the current situation.

"Not anymore! We're just friends now!" I squeak quietly as she tightens her grip, sending the Canadians a look that says ' _help!_ '.

Kinh looks on awkwardly while Remi just rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.

"You kind of dug your own hole there bro." Al remarks flatly , "Not all girls like that type of jokes."

I desperately tap against Alice's leg as I feel everything start to go foggy, and she releases me right before I pass out. I take a few deep breaths while leaning on her, then straighten up. "I wasn't joking. That's how it was. Not anymore though."

"... erm ok", Kinh stammers, "Can't really help you there."

Next to him, Remi sighs in indifference while Al rolls his eyes.

"Should have said that then man."

"Kinda hard to talk when you've got someone choking you out." I mutter, sending a sideways glance at Alice before noticing a figure jogging down the pier towards us. "Hmm?"

The Canadians quickly recognize the person.

"Yo Danielle!" Kinh calls out with a caring smile, "How did the evening end?"

Al and Remi crack their knuckles.

"Did anyone else give you trouble?" Al asks seriously while taking on a serious look.

"N-no… it was actually really nice!" She huffs as she slows down, walking over to me and hugging me. "I wanted to see you guys off."

"Thanks Sis'. How'd things go with the girl?" I ask, giving her a kiss on the head.

The blush that crosses over my sister's face is enough for me to know what transpired, and I give her a pat on the back while the rest of my flight roars with laughter.

"I knew it!" Alice giggles, pushing me out of the way and patting my sister on the shoulder. "Congratulations. There's no shame in a little fun."

"Good job girl!" Kinh exclaims before raising his hand for a high five.

"Congrats…" Al says before taking on a scolding tone, "Remi, don't get too excited. . .you fucking pig!"

Remi's face has a lecherous look on it.

"Oh come on… I can't have fun every now and then?" he groans sarcastically, turning to Danielle.

"Good job, I guess," he says flaty before turning to Kinh, "At least I know you don't think I'm gay. Unlike Kinh here."

"I am not gay! Just not lucky with the ladies!"

Al snickers briefly before muttering "Mashiro."

The blush on her face turns to a bright red instead of a pink, and I laugh again, messing up her hair. "Just don't let it distract you from your duties."

She nods, and Saige slaps her on the back before pushing Marco and I down the pier. "The boat's waiting for us people. Congratulations Dani."

"Thanks everyone. Good luck!" She chirps as the four of us start walking towards the PBY-5. I wave over my shoulder and walk backwards for a moment.

"Be safe! Don't hesitate to call for us if you need help!" I yell at them all, earning a thumbs up before we climb into the waist blister and sit down on the bunks.

"Y'all good back here?" The flight engineer asks, coming back from the cockpit.

"Yeah. Take us back to the Monty." I respond with a nod. "We've got preparations to make."

"Yessir, right away."

* * *

 _ **Huynh, Kinh-Luyên,**_

 _ **October 8th, 1000,**_

 _ **HMCS Rainbow, Command Room**_

 _ **Status: Preparing to leave Yokosuka**_

The sound of diesel engines rumbling to life was mixing the bustling crew of the Rainbow. Every student on board was at their station. After the feast, the crews of the various ships had returned to their bunks for one last night of peaceful sleep before heading out. For most of the crews, they were awake for two hours already, doing final inspections and quick tune-ups to their ships or boats.

"Alrighty gents! All's good over here?" Kinh asked to his crew as he stood next to the ladder leading to the top of the conning tower. Oliver was standing by the navigator's station, looking over maps with the navigator.

"Aye sir!"

The intercom phone suddenly rang and Oliver picked it up.

"Archer here! What's going on?"

He nodded before turning to his captain.

"Just got a new message from the higher ups." the second answers seriously, "High priority."

"Right," Kinh nods as he makes his way to the radio room through the cramped compartments of the Rainbow.

As he arrives in the radio room, Saïd, the brown skinned radio operator of the Rainbow, hands him a sheet of paper from a pile of papers and books neatly stacked on his station.

"Here you go. Looks damn important," he reports.

"Mind handing me the intercom?" Kinh asks as he picks up the sheet, "I'll call Olson."

The radio operator smiles

"No problems sir." he says happily as he hands over the intercom phone. The captain quickly calls the instructor. Within a few moments, they can hear him coming over.

"You got our orders Kinh?" he calmly asks.

"Yup, haven't read them yet though." Kinh reports, "Wanted your opinion on them. Especially with what you told me the other day about the emergency command being established."

Olson nods briefly.

"Smart idea kid."

"Alrighty, here we go."

Kinh raises the paper and begins reading his orders. His face quickly starts displaying indifference.

"We're getting patrol orders. Essentially we're going back to Iwo Jima again. They want to see if the rogue ships are still around or if they left the area. Seems pretty mundane to me eh Olson?"

The older man leans against one of the walls.

"Indeed, though I have a feeling we won't find anything there," he sighs, "Something just tells me that's there's something more going on. Mind if I tell you while we get back to the command post?"

The veteran instructor has a serious look on his face. Saïd shrugs before putting on his headsets again. Their conversation was above his role as radio operator.

"No problems Olson," Kinh replies as he starts walking in the hall leading to the front of the Rainbow. As they walk forward, they make their way through the empty crew quarters.

"Remember when we were on the Meredith Kinh?" Olson asks wearily.

"Yeah, we were talking about everything that was going on around the RATt virus," he answers before stopping with a realization, "Wait! You think that it evolved or something?"

Olson nods in agreement.

"That or it's been weaponized," he answers, "There could some messed up dictator or scientist out there that saw the crisis and thought that the virus could be used to gain power."

Kinh shuddered at the thought of weaponizing such a virus.

"It created some kind of hivemind," he realized as he started walking again, "Anyone controlling that hivemind… Shit that's messed up," he paused again, "If it evolved… that means it's probably 'smarter' than the first time too! So it makes perfect sense that those ships aren't going to be around Iwo Jima!"

"Exactly."

"FUCK!"

By now, they had reached the command post of the Rainbow and Kinh's outburst had gotten the attention of the rest of the crew who had turned their heads in surprise.

"Sorry about that guys." Kinh apologized sheepishly.

A shout came from the conning tower.

"Kinh, da fuck is going on!?" Al shouted from the top of the conning tower.

"Sorry bro! I'll be topside in a minute." he said again before addressing his crew, "Orders just came through and we're heading back to Iwo Jima!"

Various grumblings and murmurs of understanding was heard.

"Thomas, Oliver… set course for 25.16876, 141.0524," he ordered, "Best time possible!"

Both nodded and quickly answered "Yes!" before beginning to plan their course.

"As we were saying Olson," Kinh said as he turned his attention to his instructor and their conversation, "About the virus and the ships not being there… it'll be like looking for a needle in a fucking big haystack."

"That'll be the case, but that's why we have the Americans flying recon all over the place."

* * *

 _ **Danielle Schumer**_

 _ **USS Black DD-666**_

 _ **0530, October 8th**_

 _ **Status: Leaving Yokosuka**_

"Samuel, you have the helm. Don't run into anything." I order before sipping at the mug of coffee in my hand, looking through the front windows of the bridge.

"Aye Captain."

"If I'm needed, I'll be on deck at the bow." I yawn before turning and walking down the stairway in the rear of the bridge. On my way down I stick my head into the radio room. "How's everything in here?"

"Looking good Captain. HMCS U-190 just reported that they've spotted a Victory Ship adrift. They're going to observe it and await the Blumers." Mark replies, no longer sporting the mohawk he had on the voyage over.

"Have they identified which one it is?"

"No Ma'am. I can ask them if you'd like."

I nod and stand in the doorway. "Please do."

He nods and puts his headphones on, tapping out morse code for a minute before waiting for a reply. After a brief moment he presses the headphones to his ears and listens before looking up at me.

"Lane Victory. It's one of ours."

I nod and smile, clapping him on the shoulder. "Awesome. Thanks."

"Erm, Captain there's one other thing."

I stop on my way out the door. "Yeah?"

"The USS Alaska and USS Sims will be joining us. Alaska has command of the task force until Wisconsin finishes her trek across the Pacific."

"Good. Let me know if any other ships are discovered." I order before walking out onto the deck, up to the bow, where I sit down on a bollard and sip my coffee, letting my mind wander.

I don't know how long I sit there, but when I finally come back to reality, I look around to find the Monterey off our starboard side. In front of us towers the giant USS Alaska with her 12-inch guns elevated slightly, the covers on the muzzles preventing seawater from getting in the barrels.

While I'm marveling at the large cruiser, Emma, one of the radio operators, walks over to me.

"I got a VHF radio set up in your cabin just like you asked."

I stand up and take a sip at my coffee, then scowl and spit the now cold liquid over the railing before looking at her. "Thanks Em. I owe you one."

"Don't mention it. If anyone asks, the radio scanner installed on it was there when you got it." She giggles before acting more official. "Also, we received a message from the instructor ship USS Doyle FFG-39. Apparently your mother found out about your injury."

She pulls out two folded papers from her back pocket and holds them out to me. I gently take them and unfold both to find them _covered_ in text from top to bottom. Groaning, I start slowly walking my way back to my cabin. "Thanks Emma."

"Not a problem. We've got a Sat-Phone in the comms shack if she wants you to call her."

"We do?"

"Yeah. Came with the ship!" She yells after me while I slowly walk along the starboard gangway, so engrossed in reading the excessively lengthy message from my mother that I almost walk into a 20mm Oerlikon. As I switch to reading the second page only one thought runs through my mind.

' _I pity the poor sailor who had to send this via straight-key.'_

* * *

 _ **Jack Schumer**_

 _ **USS Monterey**_

 _ **1055, October 8th**_

 _ **Location: 32.2610, 140.6577**_

 _ **Status: R &R, Monterey pilot quarters, B deck.**_

"Okay okay, how about this one. Scharnhorst vs Alaska? Open seas, north Atlantic." One of the dive bomber pilots asks from his bunk across from mine.

"You kidding?" I scoff, "Scharnhorst, hands down. Those fifteen-inch guns would tear Alaska apart."

"Then how about in the Pacific, somewhere like the Philippines?"

"Pretty fair fight at close range. Next."

"Hellcat versus George?"

I open my mouth to respond, but quickly shut it again when the bosun's whistle rings out over the intercom.

 _{Flight leader India-One, Jack Schumer, please report to the A deck radio room.}_

I sit up and listen to the PA system shut off, then check to make sure my landing zone is clear before jumping off my bunk. "We'll continue this when I get back."

"Sir."

I slap Marco on the back of his head as I walk past, getting quickly cussed out in Spanish before I duck through the bulkhead and ascend the staircase, my moccasins lightly tapping on the floor with each step. I duck through a second bulkhead and immediately hang a right, pushing the curtain for the radio room aside and sticking my head in. "Y'all called for me?"

The broad-shouldered radio operator holds up a finger, motioning for me to wait for a moment while he listens. A few moments later he picks up the satellite phone beside his computer and holds it out for me with a sticky note attached to it, the note having a phone number on it. "You got a phone call. Asked for you by tail number."

I take the phone and sigh. "Thanks. I'll be out here in the hall." I withdraw my head from the curtain and lean against the wall, dialing up the number that I already know by heart before putting it to my ear and listening to it ring. Once, twice, and on the third ring it's answered.

 _{Captain Jeffrey Schumer speaking.}_

"Hey pops. You called?"

 _{I did. One moment.}_

I hear him talking to his First Mate in the background for a moment before his voice gets louder. _{So, how's my boy doing?}_

I roll my eyes and chuckle. "I'm doing alright. A bit pissed about being stuck here until this clusterfuck is taken care of, but otherwise no complaints. My flight and I even got moved to One-India."

 _{Congrats of the flight order change. Your old man is being redirected to help coordinate the search effort, so you're not alone there. How's your sister and the Meredith?}_

I cringe inwardly, knowing Mom probably got the news, but didn't tell him. "Actually, she's commanding the USS Black now."

 _{What happened to the Meredith?}_

"Sank on the 21st near Iwo Jima. The Myoko hit it with a live torpedo after they picked up survivors from the initial outbreak skirmish. You didn't get the call?"

 _{No. Is Danielle alright?}_

"She's got some stitches and a metal plate in her side, but otherwise she's fine. The previous morning the Meredith came under air attack and she took a twenty-millimeter in the vest. Broke a rib and bruised a few more."

I hear him audibly sigh. _{Why am I always the last to find out about these kind of things?}_

"Because Mom's an airhead, I'm usually too busy flying CAP or sleeping, and Danielle doesn't want you to flip out?"

 _{Don't call your mother an airhead.}_ He scolds.

"Call a spade a spade…" I mutter before the four pilots of India Two sprint past in full flight kit. I take the phone from my ear and yell at 'em. "Hey! Where's the fire!?"

"Two-Bravo spotted a destroyer!" One yells back. "We got the order because you're busy! Sucks to be you!"

I flip them the bird before putting the phone back against my ear. "Anyway . . . This 'staying here until new years' business is horse shit."

 _{Welcome to the Navy son. I just put some funds in your account. Go down to the ship PX_ _ *****_ _and buy yourself a waterproof Sat-Phone so we can talk more often.}_

' _The Navy can kiss my ass. I'm missing hunting season right now!'_

"Okay. Anything else?"

 _{Yeah. While you were in Yokosuka I had a package dropped off. It should be in the PX. Pick it up while you're getting the phone. I've gotta go. Take care of yourself, and don't bite off more than you can chew.}_

"Sure thing. Thanks Dad. You be safe."

He hangs up, and I push off the wall, pulling the curtain aside and placing the Sat-Phone on the radio operator's desk before nodding respectfully and leaving them be. I walk down to B deck, sauntering amidships to the ship PX.

"Hey Jack! How can I help you today?" The young clerk asks, leaning on the counter behind the grated window.

"I need a Sat-Phone, and my old man told me there's a package in there for me."

He straightens up and slams his hand on the counter before disappearing into the back, coming out a minute later with a rather large cardboard box in hand. "You'll need to come around to the door. You said you also needed a Sat-Phone?"

"Yeah, a waterproof one."

He reaches under the counter and pulls out one of the Satellite phones with its thick case and foldable antenna, placing it on the counter before typing into his computer, removing the balance from my account before sliding the phone through the opening. "There you go. Come around the side and get your package."

I walk down the narrow corridor to the bulkhead in the rear of the PX, and he unlatches it before opening the heavy metal door and passing me the heavy box. Nodding in thanks I set about carrying the thing to the pilot's quarters, wondering what the hell the old coot put inside the thing that's so heavy.

When I walk in everyone's for the most part in the exact same spots they were, and with Alice's help I get the box up onto my bunk before climbing up, using the little boot knife I have to open it.

On top, a stack of Cookies 'n' Cream Hershey's bars, a couple new SD cards for my cameras, and a new camera case with an extended battery for my GoPro. Below that, are a new pair of Nomex gloves, a new Nomex flight suit, and an EPIRB ***** , which seems to be the primary source of all the weight. Last but definitely not least is a small black velvet-covered box which I requested during our time in Yokosuka.

I take a look around before pulling out the little box and opening it slightly, finding that there is indeed a diamond ring inside. I quickly shut the lid and look around to make sure nobody noticed, then I stuff the box in the pocket of my BDU's and set about breaking down the cardboard box.

"So what did you get?" Alice asks, sticking her head up above the edge of my bunk.

"Some chocolate, SD cards, a new case for my GoPro, and some Nomex clothes." I yawn, showing off my prizes. "Bought a Sat-Phone too."

"You bought a Sat-Phone? Why? I thought you hated it when people call you?"

"My old man chewed my ass for never getting in contact with him, so he sent me the money and made me get one."

"Well, it might come in han-"

Alice clams up when the two-toned squeal of the bosun's whistle rings out, followed by the voice of the stocky Native American kid from Umatilla.

 _{General Quarters, General Quarters! All hands, man your battlestations! All pilots to the ready room! Flight crew, prepare to launch aircraft!}_

" _Fuck!_ Move it people!"

* * *

 **Lingo/terms:**

 **DEQ = Department (of) Environmental Quality**

 **CAP = Combat Air Patrol**

 **PX = Post Exchange**

 **EPIRB = Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon**


	7. Chapter 7: Contact

**Yokosuka Naval District Headquarters**

 **1030, October 8th**

In a brightly lit command room, there were multiple Blue Mermaids officials as well as foreign officers dressed in different styles of uniform sitting around a long wooden conference table. Steaming mugs of coffee shared space with documents, computers and pencils. At the head of the table was a large screen with faces on them along with two dark haired, red eyed women. Both share similar traits but one is clearly much older with streaks of grey lining her hair and circles under her severe eyes. The younger woman wears a white uniform while the older wears a black one. The atmosphere was tense as everyone grimly read the reports. Even those on the screen were reading as well.

"Good day to all of you," the older woman greets politely.

 _"Good morning to you Principal Munetani,"_ replies one of the foreign officers on the screen. The background behind him is a rather simple office.

"Thank you Commodore Clouston. We are all gathered here to coordinate our efforts in stemming this new RATt infection," she explains, "I welcome our colleagues from the US Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Australian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy. Let us begin this meeting."

There was a short pause as the younger woman and Principal Munetani switch places.

"I am Inspector Mashimo Munetani of the Blue Mermaids," she introduces herself before turning on another screen at the back of the room, prompting everyone to turn their attention, "This is the current state of affairs. After the Iwo Jima incident, we've counted 13 capital ships who have gone missing. Eleven of those ships were to be assigned to the Yokosuka Naval District. The two other ships were assigned to other districts, and are unaccounted for as well."

As she speaks, the screen changes to display the outline of 13 warships of different displacement. At the top are two carriers, the Taiho and the Shoukaku.

"There are also nine Victory ships along with their cargo that have gone missing." Mashimo adds as the screen changes again to show the outline of the cargo ships,

" _Pardon the interruption inspector. Which Victory Ships have gone missing?"_ A grey-haired American instructor in another screen asks as he sits up straighter in his chair. The inspector changes the slide to display various diagrams underneath of nine Victory ship outlines.

"Instructor Bogan, this is the latest information we have about the contents of those missing ships."

The eyes of many of those present narrowed as they saw what those ships carried in their holds.

" _Are we sure these are the correct ships? That is an awful lot of ordinance,"_ Bogan remarks.

"These are the ships that were part of the relief convoys, but never registered in any ports following the initial outbreak."

" _I see. Please continue then."_

"At approximately twenty-two-hundred hours last night, a PBY-5 from USS Tangier, Seattle Naval Academy, spotted multiple ships leaving the area of Ioto Ogasawara, sailing in an orderly formation to the south. Shortly thereafter the seaplane was forced to return, and we've since lost the ships. We _need_ to find those ships, before the RATt virus can get to Japan."

" _Excuse me Inspector. How many vessels did the seaplane see?"_ A representative from Australia asks.

"Instructor Wakouski, they couldn't confirm the exact number due to weather conditions, but they could confirm it was at least five."

" _We need to know the location of those flattops as soon as possible."_ An American Navy officer states forcefully.

" _We're working on it. So far we've only found a Victory-class transport adrift."_ A Canadian instructor reports.

" _We need more than just working on it."_ Another American sighs before an arm reaches from out of the camera's view and hands him a piece of paper. He sits up straighter and reads it over, his jaw clenching before he turns his microphone on. " _Monterey just sent out a report. They have multiple unresponsive aircraft approaching, and are scrambling their fighter wing to intercept."_

"Are they sure of it?"

" _Yes. They already had a bomber flight make contact. Three of the four planes are down."_

" _Start converging on that sector. Find. Those. Ships."_ A female American instructor snaps, disconnecting from the meeting.

* * *

 _ **Jack Schumer**_

 _ **USS Monterey**_

 _ **1056, October 8th**_

 _ **Location: 31°45'07.3"N 141°00'16.2"E**_

 _ **Status: Intercept course, 23,000 feet. Accompanied by India-Two and India-Three.**_

"All elements, combat spread. Eyes out."

 _{This is Sierra Two-Four, I'm hit! Going down!}_ The last of the four scout bomber pilots yells through the radio.

"Outback, India One-One, requesting bogey dope." I half-growl into the radio, shifting around in my seat while looking around.

 _{India One-One, nearest group, one-nine-six for ten miles, at one-eight thousand. Ten-ship, hot.}_

"India copies." I snug my oxygen mask to my face and flash my formation lights as a signal for everyone to follow me, turning towards the nearest group. The usual worries and fears start to creep forward, but I beat them down with extreme prejudice and get my head back on the mission. "All India elements, make ready for combat, keep the bags for now."

I reach forward and turn my guns to 'ARMED', then flip the 'Master Arm' switch and flick the switch cover down, looking over my right wing at the six Hellcats on that side. Marco and Saige both give me a thumbs-up to indicate they're armed, and the flight leader of India-Two rocks his wings since he's further out. I shift in my seat and look over my left wing, getting a thumbs-up from Alice and another confirmation from India-Three, making twelve Hellcats locked and loaded. Ready to hunt.

 _{India One-One, Outback. Adjust heading to Two-One-Zero for intercept.}_

"One-One copies, turning to heading Two-One-Zero for intercept."

I put my plane in a gentle turn, taking brief glances at my altimeter and compass until I'm lined up with 210. Then once again I look around, checking for my wingmen and the other flights, finding them right where they were previously.

 _{India One-One, Outback. Pop-up group, Two-One-Niner for sixteen miles, eight thousand, four-ship, hot.}_

"One-One copies. Designate pop-up group Romeo-Two. Requesting bogey dope."

 _{Ten-ship, one-eight-five for eight miles. Twenty-thousand, hot. Hold heading for intercept.}_

I look down at my instruments and check everything, doing some quick math in my head after a glance at my fuel gauge. "All India elements on this net, seal tanks and prepare to jettison."

Multiple chirps in my headset serve as acknowledgements as I pull a small lever up underneath my right armpit, sealing the drop tanks so no residual fuel can leak out. Once the tanks are sealed I select the bomb pylons and release them, feeling the plane lurch upwards from the change of weight and drag. I switch to the internal stores and do a quick aileron roll to make sure they're away, then neutralize my trim and turn my gunsight on. "One-One, gloves on."

 _{One-Two, gloves on.}_

 _{One-Three, gloves on.}_

 _{One-Four, gloves on, ready to rock and roll!}_

As the other reports of readiness come from the other flight leaders I keep an eye out ahead of us, scanning for the planes that I _know_ are ahead of us. I'm almost ready to ask 'Outback' for a bearing when Alice calls out over the radio.

 _{Tally ten! One-thirty, low!}_

I sit up and lean forward, looking down past the leading edge of my right wing to find ten black dots perfectly outlined against a cloud, in near perfect formation, line abreast.

"Tally. One, starting my attack."

 _{Two!}_ Alice chirps, informing me she's in trail behind me.

I wing over and open up the throttle, diving at the formation of planes. Green color scheme, yellow stripe on the tail, rounded wingtips, black engine cowling….

"Confirmed bandits, type six-mike, 'Zeke'." I say calmly as I line up on one from four o'clock high, the distance closing rapidly until I finally hold down the trigger for a half-second, the entire plane shaking for a moment before I roll out, climbing up above the formation as it scatters. I level out a couple thousand feet above the Zero's and circle while partially inverted, watching the other flights get their runs in before I dive back in, singling out one belching smoke like it's going out of style. My dive on the wounded fighter is rudely interrupted a few seconds after I start it when a stream of rather large tracers zips past my right wingtip.

 _{One, feint left, pull out!}_ Alice warns. I do as she says and pull out of the dive, jinking left then pulling hard right, ignoring the possibility of ripping the FFAR's off my wings.

 _{I got one!}_ Marco cheers as I snap my head back to see a brief flash of a Zero zipping past with a Hellcat hot on his ass. I reverse my turn and start corkscrewing upwards, glancing over my left shoulder to find two Zero's plummeting towards the ocean with the streamer chute trailing, slowing them down enough to safely deploy the large parachute.

 _{Scratch one!}_ Alice chimes, pulling up on my wing. I look past her at the fight below us, and find it's exactly what I thought it would be, a gigantic furball, with both Hellcats and Zeros turning and burning to try and get on the other's tail. Consistently through the fight, the radio bustles with communications from the other flights.

 _{India Two-Four going down!}_

 _{Three-One, I've got one on my ass!}_

 _{Two-Three you've got a hole in your right wing!}_

 _{I fucking noticed!}_

I take a deep breath and reverse direction, loosely turning so Alice can easily follow me. As I turn I scan the fight below us and single out another Zero, one climbing up above the fight, and open up the throttle, diving on it from 5 o'clock high, thinking Alice has my six covered until I hear her snarl in irritation.

 _{Two, I've got one on my tail!}_

I break off my attack and pull up, letting the R-2800 claw for altitude before I roll inverted and throttle back, searching for my girlfriend in the furball before I spot a hellcat maneuvering away from the mess with a Zero hot on its tail. I roll upright and open the throttle again with a quick glance at my fuel gauge and engine temperatures, then check over my shoulder to clear my six as I pursue the two planes.

 _{One where are you?! I need help with this guy!}_ She yells, starting to climb before she snap-rolls left and dives, only fooling the pilot for a moment before it too, rolls and dives. I nose into the dive and follow with the throttle wide open, lining up behind the Japanese fighter while Alice starts a right turn, making it harder for the Zero to pull lead on her, but also making it harder for me to pull lead on him.

"Two, pull hard left, I've got him. Ready? Mark."

True to my instructions, she reverses her turn and pulls hard, just as the Zero lets loose a split-second burst. The shells hit her right wingtip, and her plane rolls inverted as it suddenly stalls, leading into an inverted flat spin. I growl and give the Zero a much longer burst than usual, ensuring it goes down before I break hard into a left turn, spiraling down with Alice as she tries to recover, managing to do so in seconds. All the while she snarls an incredibly descriptive blue streak of words describing what she's going to do with her guardian angel if she dies.

 _{India One-One, merged, Romeo-Two.}_ 'Outback' reports, but it's lost to me in Alice's explicit yelling.

15,000.

14,000.

13,000.

12,000.

I look out through my canopy and find Alice pulling out of her dive. I pull back on the stick and strain through the G's, finally getting level and starting to climb up to her, just in time for a loud clatter to make my heart jump into my throat. I snap left and pull hard, looking over my shoulder to find an oddly familiar shape of an aircraft nose staring back at me. It's different from the round nose of the A6M, and is sorta reminiscent of the Hellcat, but it's way too small. Not to mention it's green, not the USN tricolor camouflage pattern we fly with, and the wings are too long to be a Hellcat.

"Sam! I've got a Sam on my tail!" I yell into the radio, using the codename for the A7M.

 _{All Monterey aircraft, disengage and return to the fleet. Say again, disengage and return to the carrier.}_

 _{We can't disengage, they'll just follow us back!}_ Someone from India-Two yells in frustration.

 _{All India elements, pop-up group, one-seven-six for thirty miles, two-zero contacts at ten thousand, hot. Designated Romeo-Three.}_

The radio almost immediately falls quiet. I pull back hard on the stick and jam the rudder hard to the left, causing an asymmetric stall. I'm thrown against my harness as my plane starts to fall like a rock, spinning wildly the entire time as I fight to get the nose down.

"I fuckin' hate doing thiiis!" I yell, jamming the stick right and keeping it there. Thankfully the nose drops and I start gaining speed again.

 _{This is India One-Two, I'm going down!}_

* * *

 _ **Huynh, Kinh-Luyên,**_

 _ **October 8th, 1300**_

 _ **HMCS Rainbow, Observation deck**_

 _ **Status: Heading to patrol area**_

Standing on the observation deck, Kinh and his crewmen scanned the area around with their binoculars. Their departure from Yokosuka had initially been uneventful until two hours ago when Saïd reported that the American fighters had run into rogue fighters. The captain had ordered the radio operator to keep him updated on the situation. To his horror, his allies were being overwhelmed by superior numbers. Slowly but steadily, the transmissions were lessening until half of the American were still emitting intercom phone suddenly rang.

"Kinh here," the captain said as he held the handset, "What's happening?"

It was from the radio room.

"Saïd here. We just got some new orders."

Kinh raised an eyebrow though he had a gnawing feeling about what was going on.

"New patrol coordinates?"

"Nah man, we're ordered to pick up the Americans who got shot down seeing as they got ambushed in the sector we're heading to."

Kinh paused for a brief moment while Al looked at him in curiosity.

"You sure that's what command wants?" he asks as he did a hand gesture for Al to focus on scanning the area, "The enemy probably has air superiority in that area. That'll make any search and rescue mission a pain in the ass."

"We can always ask the picket destroyer in the area if they have any contacts on radar."

Kinh sighs. It was a risky mission but someone needed to fish those poor sods out of the water. Who knew how long could they hold.

"Smart idea," he finally said, "Do you have the coordinates for the crashed planes' EPIRB's?"

"Yes, I do." Saïd answered, "We've just received them a few moments ago."

"Gimme a sec," Kinh replied before shutting off the intercom. Looking over at Al and the rest of the watchmen, he gave them instructions.

"Right guys, keep an eye out for planes," he says, "New orders just came in."

"Oh?" Al asks with a puzzled look, "We're picking up the pilots who got shot down?"

Kinh nodded as he began to climb down into the command room.

"Exactly, they ran into a fucking trap and got blown out of the skies."

"Their EPIRB's triggered?" the blonde watch officer adds.

"Yup, catch you in a few minutes."

With that, Kinh slid down the ladder and into the command room of the Rainbow where Oliver was busy monitoring the rest of the crew with Olson.

"New orders gents."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **30 minutes later**_

"Dammit all!" Kinh swore as he lowered his binoculars, "Still nothing!"

Frustration was written all over his face as he clenched his teeth in annoyance. The Rainbow had finally arrived on the scene of the first EPIRB coordinates. Justin and the engine crew were pushing the sub to its highest speed. Speed was of the essence. Much to their despair, there was no sign of a stranded pilot or even a crashed Hellcat.

"You see anything Frank?" Junior asked anxiously, "Cause I got nothing on my side right now."

"I hope we're not too late," Frank replied with anger in his voice as he held his binoculars to his face, "For all we could know, those RATt infected could have shot them while they were in the water."

"That would be fucking shit," Al added with a scowl on his tense face, "We'd have no way of finding the bodies."

Kinh glared at all three of them.

"Don't fuckin' jinx'em alright? We'll find them and get them back alive am I clear?!"

He scanned the horizon but there was still nothing around them. Grabbing the intercom, he contacted the radio room.

"Saïd! Get me updated coordinates if possible," the captain barks.

"Aye! I'll get in touch with command." replied the radio operator, "Gimme a minute or two."

"Understood."

' _Please don't fuck this up command. Those pilots don't want to be fish food.'_

Kinh shuddered at the thought.

The intercom suddenly rang.

"Saïd?" he tersely asks as his grip tightens on the handset.

"Got news from the _Basilone_. Lone plane headed our way."

"Wha-? How far out?"

There's a brief pause from Saïd.

"Bearing 2-4-6, 8 miles and closing in slowly."

Kinh raised an eyebrow.

"Slowly? What speed roughly"

There was another pause.

"150 knots, according to the Basilone," the radio operator replies, "Maybe one of the Americans that are unaccounted for?"

"Maybe or a lost enemy fighter. Either ways, I'll warn Oliver to prepare for emergency dive-"

He's suddenly interrupted by Frank's shouting.

"Contact aircraft! Bearing 2-4-5!" he shouted as he pointed to their south east.

Raising their binoculars, the rest of the deck crew scanned the horizon for the incoming plane.

"I got eyes on it!" Al yelled as he and everyone else spotted a black dot approaching. The black dot had white smoke trailing behind it.

"That is not normal," Junior remarked tensely as he tracks the rapidly closing dot, "That plane's been hit badly!"

"Pilot might be injured from the battle," Al added, "He's headed our way alright!"

As the dot drew nearer, the four crewmen recognized the plane in question.

"It's one of our Hellcats!" Kinh shouts, relief evident in his voice before realizing something, "Why the hell is it still around here!? Didn't they all head back!?"

"I don't know man!" Al shot back, "But it's starting to get alot lower."

"Oh fuck… maybe the pilot got dazed or something," Junior said with horror on his face, "Fella must be running out of gas or fallen over on his controls."

"Shit."

As it neared and started a lazy orbit around the _Rainbow_ , the pilot slid the canopy back, letting the plane get slightly lower as the engine sputtered, then died, and the pilot leveled his hole-ridden wings, gently pulling the nose of his plane up as his flaps lowered.

"He's making a landing!" Frank called out.

"Oh shit!" Kinh yelled as he grabbed the intercom, "All crewmembers! Stand by for emergency pilot recovery protocol!"

Sweat trickled down his forehead as he watched the plane lose altitude. The good news was that the pilot was mostly likely still conscious as he or she managed to guide their crippled warbird in for a landing. The bad news was that the plane had been hit and that it might break apart on impact.

Roughly a mile ahead of them, the Hellcat gently set down on the water, the flotation system working as it's supposed to, fully inflating and keeping the fighter afloat as the _Rainbow_ knifed through the water towards it.

Aboard the submarine, Olson watched the plane through a pair of binoculars while the crew of the sub scrambled around, getting ready to take on a wounded pilot, as well as moving some supplies around inside the sub so there would be room for the pilot to sleep.

"Damn good pilot!" Kinh exclaimed.

"Wouldn't expect anything less. It takes skill to land on a carrier, much less calm seas." Olson grunted as the captain grabbed one of the Rainbow's megaphones.

"This is Captain Kinh-Luyên Huynh of the HMCS Rainbow. Can you hear me?" he called through the megaphone as the sub drew closer, receiving no answer from the ditched plane.

"Merde… don't be dead," he muttered before calling out again into the megaphone.

* * *

 _ **Jack Schumer**_

 _ **F6F-5, Tail #N3061G**_

 _ **1348, October 8th**_

 _ **Location: 31°43'20.9"N 141°10'46.4"E**_

 _ **Status: Ditched in the ocean.**_

"Fuck."

Emphasizing the curse, I throw my gloves into the floor by my rudder pedals and rest my head against the back of the seat. The frustration of failing to cover my wingman and girlfriend quickly creeps in, and I clench my fist before beating it against the control panel in rage.

"God damn it!" I snarl to nobody in particular, unbuckling my harness and grabbing my ditch bag from behind the seat, putting my cameras in a dry bag with their storage banks so they're protected before I stand up in the seat and look past the tail at the all-too-familiar submarine approaching, hearing a familiar voice calling through a megaphone.

"Anyone there? Hello!"

"Ah fuck. Hey Frenchie!" I yell back, waving an arm above my head.

"You injured?"

"Nah, I'm fine!"

I hear the familiar voice of the skipper ordering his boys to throw me a buoy as they slow down alongside my plane, roughly twenty yards off the left wing, and I step onto the wing, being mindful of a line of holes where an A7M stitched me up.

"What the hell are you still doing out here?" The annoying captain asks as a rope is thrown to me. "All the other pilots that were still flying returned to the Monterey."

"I was looking for my wingman, Alice. Please tell me you guys picked her up."

The captain and his crew look at each other with unease before he awkwardly rubs the back of his head.

"You're the first one we've picked up," Kinh uneasily answers, not daring to look at me, "We haven't found anyone else yet."

I clench my fist and take a deep breath, jumping off the wing onto the deck and hauling in the rope to leave my Hellcat to drift. "What the fuck. Have any other vessels picked up pilots?"

Kinh sighs, still having trouble looking at me.

"We're the first one on-site," he replies, not meeting my eyes, "We're the closest boat in the area."

Al puts his hand on my shoulder, probably catching that I was talking about my girlfriend.

"Bro we're gonna find her ok?" the hockey player says with a serious look, "We're gonna do our best to find her." The other two crewmen nod in agreement before they turn their attention to the sea surrounding us.

I brush his hand off and sigh, hiking my bag up on my other shoulder. "Roughly bearing one-six-five is her plane."

Kinh nods before getting on his intercom and ordering the Rainbow to change her course. He also asks for another pair of binoculars to be brought up with a quiet but commanding voice. Within moments, one of his boys hands him the binoculars.

"Here," he says handing me the object, "You'll need it."

I take them and pull the loop over my neck, hopping up to sit on the edge of the conning tower railing. Minutes turn to hours as I sit there, scanning the seemingly endless ocean, until I start to get tired and simply sit there, feeling at the velvet case of the ring in my pocket.

" . . . Startin' to think maybe I should've taken that offer from Oriskany."

"Hmm?" Kinh grunts with an innocent look on his face as he lowers his binoculars.

"Oh, that offer I got from Oriskany, flying Corsairs. Maybe I should've taken it after all. At least I wouldn't be in this life or death bullshit."

"Je vois. Well I don't know what to say" he replies flatly, "I can't really see the future."

"Eh, forget I said anything. Mind if I head below deck?"

The captain shakes his head.

"Nah, if you want to sleep, feel free to use my quarters. I'll tell the guys to take you there."

I grunt a thanks and put my feet on solid metal again, picking up my bag and dropping it down the ladder before climbing down, into the sardine can, addressing the crew once I step off the bottom rung. "Pardon the intrusion, where's the nearest bunk? I ain't picky."

I see a chestnut haired, bearded instructor looking over to me as I pick my bag up again.

"Right this way, Kinh told me to take you to his cabin," the man says, guiding me through the sub, "I'm Olson by the way."

"Name's Jack, I believe you've met my sister, Danielle."

The old man nods with a smile.

"Fine girl, though I think you are both cut from the same cloth."

I can see the crew quietly doing their everyday tasks as the old man guides me to Kinh's quarters. Despite being of average stature, I practically have to get on my hands and knees to fit through some of the hatches, and more than once I hit my head on said hatch, earning some laughs from any nearby crew. More often than not I end up plastering myself against one wall to get past someone, but finally Olson motions at a small curtained-off bunk.

"That's Kinh's quarters."

"Thank you sir." I reply with a yawn, climbing into the bunk and propping my feet up on my backpack before closing my eyes, less falling asleep and more passing out.

* * *

 _ **Huynh, Kinh-Luyên,**_

 _ **October 8th, 1700**_

 _ **HMCS Rainbow, Observation deck**_

 _ **Status: Looking for survivors**_

The sun started setting as the Rainbow kept moving across the calm ocean. Despite the tranquility, her deck crew was unable to enjoy the peace. They had spent hours looking for a crashed plane with no luck so far with rotations being in place

"Merde, this is looking for a needle in haystack," Kinh mutters his breath, "Fucking hell, I hope the others are coming in soon otherwise those pilots are gonna be fucking fish food."

He shuddered at the thought. The intercom suddenly rang before the captain picked it up.

"Kinh here. What's the situation?"

"Basilone reports that they've picked up three pilots and Harekaze found a one of them too." Said reports.

"That makes five accounted for," Kinh replied, "That means there are two still out there. Fuckin' hell. Tell'em we've picked up one guy and he gave us the bearing for another one."

"Understood."

Kinh changed stations to contact the command post. He heard someone pick it up

"Olson? How's our VIP doing?" he asked calmly, "Not too… messed up?"

"Gimme a sec," Oliver answered before the captain the sound of the intercom phone being handed around.

"Olson here."

"Yeah, how's he doing?" Kinh asked again with obvious care in his voice.

"Passed out on your bunk," the instructor replied, "He's been out since the second he hit your bed."

"Damn," the captain muttered, "Doc had a chance to take a look at him?"

"No, they saw him and said he was too exhausted for a proper examination, but he's not in any danger. Just needs sleep and food. Cook's on it already."

"Right," Kinh finally said, "We'll keep each other updated."

"Yup."

Kinh then hanged up and sighed.

"Let's hope we'll find them soon."

His deck crew nodded in approval before returning to the arduous task. The monotony set in as they searched for a crashed plane. Suddenly…

"Plane spotted!" Al shouted, "10° to port!"

The three other boys swung their binoculars and saw a bullet ridden Hellcat fighter barely floating, and Kinh raised the megaphone for the second time that day.

"This is Captain Kinh-Luyên Huynh of the HMCS Rainbow. Can you hear me?"

No answer.

"Fuck!" he swore before calling out again to the pilot. Still no answer. He grabbed the intercom and began barking orders to whoever picked it up.

"Change heading 5° to port! Prepare for pilot recovery. Possibility of severe injuries! Medical personnel on standby."

He heard Oliver call out exactly the same thing to the command post crew. The captain felt the sub change directions under him as it moved towards the ditched plane.

"You two," he said pointing at Frank and Junior, "Keep an eye out for anything in the sky."

He raised his binoculars to get another look at the fighter.

"Crap there's oil over the canopy," Kinh said before turning to Al, "You see anything man?" he asked hurriedly, the plane surrounded by a slick of aviation gas.

"No, there's too much oil on it."

The sudden clanking of metal rings out as someone scrambles up the ladder.

"What the-?"

Jack heaved himself up out of the hatch and moved quickly to the railing, grabbing the metal, having taken off his flight suit.

"That's her plane!"

"Oh fuck!" Kinh yelled before pausing, "How the fuck did you get here?!" he asked in shock.

Not bothering to answer, Jack scrambled down from the conning tower.

"What the-," Kinh stammered before collecting himself, "Get another buoy ready!" He heard Frank slide down the conning tower. At the same time, Al dashed off the conning tower and ran after Jack. His boots clanked on the sub's metal hull as he called out to the American.

"Calm down man! You're not helping yourself!" he yelled before he decided to grab Jack by the hem of his coat and pull him back towards him.

"Get your hands off me motherfucker!" Jack snarled, knocking Al's hands away. Before Jack could do anything else, Al wrapped his arms around Jack and picked him up.

"Tabarnak, you're gonna calm the fuck down okay!? Your girlfriend's already in trouble… I don't want to have deal with you getting stuck in shit as well!"

Jack thrashed for a second more against the hockey player's grasped before stopping and sighed through clenched teeth. "Alright fine, put me down."

"Now you promise me you won't jump in the water?"

"Sure, but you better damn well believe I'm gonna be the one pulling the canopy off."

"Fine by me."

"Aight now put me the fuck down."

"Ight."

Al released Jack and put him back on the sub's deck.

"You jump, I'm pulling you up and kickin' your ass," he said seriously while pointing a finger at Jack.

"You'd try."

"Whatever," he answered before turning his head towards the conning tower, "I'll go fetch the rope and buoy." Looking at Kinh, he sees his captain with a buoy and rope, and nods, signalling the other boy to throw him the rope and buoy.

Catching the objects, Al suddenly hears a splash near to where Jack was.

"Calisse de tabarnak!"

He saw a figure swimming towards the downed fighter.

"At least he could swim," the watch officer muttered as he made his way forward.

Ignoring the fuel slick he was swimming through, Jack swam around to the leading edge of the left wing and pulled himself up onto the wing, quickly standing up and pulling the oil-covered canopy back.

"What the fuck is this shit!?"

"What's going on?" Kinh shouts from the top of the Rainbow's conning tower. "Oh shit," he muttered, a bad feeling sweeping over him.

"It's fucking empty! She's not here!"

"TABARNAK! What?"

Jack immediately pushed the canopy completely open and leaned into the cockpit, reaching behind the seat and pulling out a small waterproof case. "The camera is gone, but she didn't take her storage unit!"

"What did he say Al?! Not sure I got that," Kinh yells, his face red and his voice turning hoarse.

"She didn't take her storage unit but took her camera!"

"Wha?"

Reaching down behind the seat again, the pilot pulled out a bag similar to his with a frown, looking over at Al who still standing on the Rainbow. "Something's not right here."

"What do you mean?" Al asked hurriedly.

"This right here is what we call a ditch bag. When you ditch, you _always_ take it with you if you abandon your plane, because it holds your survival ration of food and water." He says with a dead serious tone, holding up the bag to show them.

"Oh fuck…" Al whispered before he relayed the information to Kinh who had made his way down.

"Crap… How the fuck could that have happened?" he asked, "That's not good at all."

He really didn't like the bad feeling he had.

"Throw me the line." Jack sighed, putting the bag on his shoulder. Al threw him the line, and he began the slow process of pulling the damaged plane towards the submarine. Once the damaged craft was close enough, he calmly hopped off the wing onto the deck and held up the memory bank. "Hopefully this will give us answers. I've got a little laptop we can view the footage on."

"Right!" Kinh exclaimed, "You can set up in my quarters. There's a plug over there." Picking up the intercom, he asked Oliver to take his place on the conning tower before sliding down into the sub.

Jack climbed up onto the conning tower, then slid down the ladder and made his way to the crew quarters, still dripping wet from his brief swim.

"Here," Olson said, handing the pilot a towel, "Don't get water all over the captain's quarters eh?"

"Thank you sir." Jack said quickly, ducking through a small bulkhead to the crew quarters and tossing the bag into an empty corner, looking around before shucking his wet shirt.

Quickly changing into some dry clothes, he dropped the wet clothes in his bag and pulled out the small computer, turning it on and plugging in the storage unit.

"You there man?" a voice called out. Looking up, Jack saw Kinh going through one of the hatches, "If you want to dry your clothes, we got a dryer in one of the other compartments," he adds nonchalantly as he leans in.

"That'd be great. I'll dry 'em once we're done here." Jack responded while opening the most recent recording, skipping through the flight to the interception, and the initial dogfight, to the part where he saved her from the A7M. Kinh and the pilot both watch the video for ten minutes or so, watching as she's relaxing in her plane, having successfully ditched.

Without any warning whatsoever her canopy is slid open, and she's pulled out of the camera frame by a pair of arms. A minute or so later, a head of silver hair emerged in the upper left corner before the camera is disconnected, ending the video.

" . . . I'm sorry, _what_?!" Jack yells after a moment, staring in disbelief.

"What the fuck!?" Kinh exclaims, "Play that shit again man!"

Jack quickly restarts the video for him to see. Taking a quick glance, he can see his face contort in disbelief.

"Ah ben mon tabarnak… this is straight out of a fucking movie," Kinh mutters before getting up, "I'm heading to the radio room."

"And I'm gonna make a phone call."

The Canadian grabs the intercom and asks for Olson and Oliver to meet him up at the radio station before heading off. Jack grabs his sat-phone from his bag and heads to the bottom of the ladder to the conning tower.

"Permission to come up?!" He yells up the ladder.

"Yeah sure!" a voice shouts from the top, "Just don't jump in again."

The redhead climbs up the ladder and nods to the watch crew, extending the antenna on the phone and dialing a familiar number.

It rings once, twice, and the recipient finally picks up on the third ring.

 _{Captain Jeffrey Schumer, USS Tulsa.}_

"Hey Dad, got a bit of a situation. I'm aboard the HMCS Rainbow, but that's not the issue."

 _{Okay, let's hear it.}_

"Alice is missing."

 _{As in they can't find her plane?}_

"No, we found the plane, but it was empty. Her ditch bag was still there, and her camera was gone but her storage unit was still there."

 _{That's . . . Odd.}_

"We went through the footage. She didn't leave by her own will. She was dragged out of her plane and whoever did it pulled her camera too."

 _{What? Why would someone do that?}_

"I don't know. Pirates would be a moderately reasonable answer, but we're in the middle of the Pacific, and from how the video looks, she didn't know they were coming."

 _{Send this video to me. Or, better yet, put their instructor on.}_

"Yes sir." He says with a grin, moving to the open hatch and climbing down into the sub.

 _{How are you taking to this development?}_

" . . . . To be honest, I'm torn between wanting to cry and wanting to punch something."

 _{That's to be expected. We'll find her.}_

Jack easily finds Olson and Oliver in the command post, overseeing everything, and offers the satellite phone to the prior. Their faces looking grim. "Instructor Jeffrey Schumer for you, Sir."

He nods and takes the phone, pressing it to his ear. "Instructor Robert Olson here."

As he listens, a intense look grazes his features, and he looks at Jack while he talks. "We certainly can rendezvous with you. . . . Our radio frequency? Two-one-four. . . Of course, it's no trouble. . . . And you as well. Goodbye now."

After he hangs up he passes the pilot the phone and smiles. "Your father seems like quite the down-to-earth person."

"Thank you sir."

"Please, just call me Olson."

Jack hears the sound of approaching footsteps on the sub's floor, and turns his head to find Kinh approaching, Jack's wet clothes under one arm.

"I'll take care of this for you. Go get yourself some food eh?"

"Will do. Thanks."

* * *

 **Danielle Schumer**

 **USS Black, DD-666**

 **1930 hours**

 _{Reminder to all vessels currently conducting Search and Rescue. Alice Houston and Daphne Hunt of Seattle Naval Academy are still unaccounted for. Should you find either of them, report so immediately. That is all, Alaska out.}_

I look up from my desk in my quarters and sigh, turning the dial on the radio and grabbing the handset. "USS Black to HMCS Rainbow, come in, over."

 _{HMCS Rainbow, receiving you loud and clear!}_

"Rainbow, might I get a status update on Jack Schumer?"

 _{Give us a sec.}_

There's a brief pause before I hear the familiar voice of my brother.

 _{Jack Schumer here.}_

"Hey Jack, give me the number of your sat-phone so we can talk in private."

 _{Sure thing, one moment . . . . Ready?}_

"Affirmative, send."

As he reads out the number I scrawl it in sharpie on my desk, then once he's done I grab my notepad out of my back pocket, writing it down there. "Thanks. I'll call you in a few mikes."

 _{Roger that. Rainbow out.}_

I hang up the handset and put my crew evaluation papers in the drawer, locking the drawer as I get up and grab my cap, leaving my quarters. I shuffle past some people from the galley as they carry supplies from a storeroom and head to the communications center, finding one of the Sophomore radio operators at her station.

"Hey Nicole?"

"Hey Captain, how can I help you?" She asks, pulling her headset down around her neck.

"Could I use the sat-phone real quick?"

"Sure thing!" She chirps with a smile, pulling open a drawer and grabbing the satellite phone from it. "I heard you talking to your brother. Should've figured you were gonna come up here sooner rather than later."

"His girlfriend's missing, so I want to make sure he's not thinking about doing anything stupid." I explain, taking the phone from her. "I'll be right out on deck."

"Take your time, I don't need it for a couple hours."

I nod and shuffle through the tight space, heading out through the bulkhead onto the deck. I extend the antenna and dial the number, hearing it ring only for a moment before Jack picks up.

 _{What's up?}_

"I'm checking in on you. How you holding up?"

 _{I'm . . . hangin' in there. Got what looks like food in front of me right now. Not quite sure what it's supposed to be, but it smells good.}_

I can hear someone say something to him in the background.

"Try to avoid getting in any fights with the Canadians, please."

 _{I yam I yam, Jesus, you tryin' to sound like Mom?}_

"No, but I'm saying what needs to be said."

 _{I can't say I'm a fan of being cooped up in this sardine tin, but I'll make a conscious effort to stay out of trouble.}_

"You better."

 _{Okay MOM. Can I eat my fuckin' dinner now?}_

"Yeah sure. Call me if you need somebody to talk to."

 _{Can do Sis'. Later.}_ He replies before hanging up. I hang up and collapse the antenna, then head back into the communications room, closing the bulkhead to the deck behind me.

"That was quick." Nicole says in surprise, taking the phone when I offer it to her.

"He wasn't in a talking mood."

"Oh. Well, I'll be here if you need me."

"Thanks."

I make my way to the plotting room and look over the map, eyeing the locations of other school's ships coming to help before I continue up to the bridge.

' _I wonder what kind of unique foods the Aussie's have?'_

* * *

 _ **Jack Schumer**_

 _ **October 8th, 1940 hours**_

 _ **HMCS Rainbow, Mess hall**_

 _ **Status: Eating**_

After I hang up on my sister I put the phone in my cargo pants pocket and pick up my fork, digging into the…. whatever it is they served me. To be fair, it tastes pretty good. There's a small bun of bread lying on a nearby plate.

The entire time I'm eating I feel at the velvet case in my pocket, trying to beat down any 'what if' thoughts. Eventually I pull the case out of my pocket and open it up, looking at the $3,000 ring encased inside.

' _Come hell or high water, I'm giving it to her.'_

"Bonne appétit!" exclaims Kinh as he comes in with the same food as me, "The meatball and potato stew any good?" he asks casually.

"Hmm? Oh. Yeah, it's better than I thought it would be." I say with a faked grin, closing the little box but keeping it in my hand.

"Hey whatcha got in that box man?"

"It's an engagement ring." I admit as I open it back up and show it to him. "Eyes only, don't touch."

He's briefly speechless before lowering his gaze and awkwardly running a hand through his hair.

"Oh… sorry," he says, not meeting my eyes, "Didn't… euh… how was your call?"

"It was alright. I suppose I was a bit of an asshole, but… y'know, siblings and all." I sigh before taking a bite of food, still looking at the ring.

"Know what you mean," he answers wistfully, "Got a little brother back at home. Don't talk much though. Also two stepbrothers."

"I've got Danielle, and supposedly another sister, who I haven't met yet." I sigh. "From what I know, my second sister is 'bout my age too."

"Supposedly?" he asks with a raised eyebrow, "How does that make sense?"

"Yeah, my dad says I've got another sister, but I haven't met her yet."

"How come? Still trying to understand here," the Canadian asks as he tears a piece of bread and sponges some of his stew, "How can you not have met her?"

"My dad volunteered to be a sperm donor, so technically she's my sister. I don't know where she lives."

"Ah… ok," his eyes narrows, "Anyhow… how's Danielle doing? New ship going well?"

"She's doing Search and Rescue with the Harekaze. She hasn't talked to me much, but I think she's getting used to the Black."

By now, the Canadian already have of the meatballs and potatoes in his stew.

"Wonder what they called it after? Maybe some guy called like that?"

" . . . I think they named it after a ship captain. Don't quote me though."

"Probably. Want something to drink?" Kinh says as he stands up, "We have orange juice, milk, Coke and Iced Tea."

"A Coke I guess. Thanks." I yawn while I mop up what's left on my plate with the bread.

"Right," he answers as he disappears into the galley.

I chomp down the bread and wipe my face, closing the box holding the ring once more.

"How are you doing son?"

I look up and find Olson getting ready to sit down, a tray of food in hand.

"Truth be told, I've never been so frustrated, anxious, disgusted, and depressed all at the same time before." I respond while resting my elbows on the table.

The instructor nods before placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Listen Jack, I know how you feel," he said, "When I was on one of my first patrols, my fiancé's destroyer got caught in a storm. Lost all contact for a week."

I sigh and open up the box again, staring at the little gold roses on either side of the diamond. "I finally work up the courage to pop the question and this shit happens before I can ask…"

Olson's eyes glint before his lips curl into a small smile.

"Sometimes… life likes to hit us bad to make us realize the good things in life."

"I already knew what the good things were good. That's why I've got the ring."

The phone in my pocket suddenly starts ringing, and I furrow my brow as I pull it out, open it up, and extend the antenna.

"Jack Schumer here."

To my surprise, the person is using a voice spoofer, making it impossible to tell if they're male or female.

 _{You have two days to come up with five hundred thousand dollars, or you will never see your girlfriend again. I'll call again in exactly forty-eight hours to give you the number of the account. *click*}_

Slowly, I pull the phone away from my ear and end the call on my side, staring at the small display in shock. ". . ."

"Is everything alright?" Olson asks.

". . . That was a ransom call."

"Wha-?"

Kinh stands in the threshold to the galley with a bottle of Coke and a bottle of Iced Tea, his jaw hanging open.

"Apparently . . . I have two days to get five hundred thousand dollars, or they're gonna do something to Alice." I mutter, dropping the phone onto the table and putting my head in my hands. I ball my hands into fists after a moment of trying to come up with options. "How the fuck am I supposed to get that much money in two days?!"

Kinh flinches at my outburst before clearing his throat and scratching his head.

"We can radio HQ for this," he suggests, glancing at Olson, "What do you think?"

I have a realization and jerk my head up. "Hold on just a tick. I haven't even had this phone for two days. There's no way they could've figured out my number . . . unless . . . I gave my number to someone over the radio . . . In which case . . ."

Olson catches on and gently sets his spoon down. "Our radios are being listened in on."

I nod and grab the sat-phone off the table. "I'm calling my dad. USS Tulsa has the equipment to notify the entire task force without using the radio."

"Merde…" Kinh mutters with realization on his face, "Fuck!"

"No kidding. I'm heading topside." I groan as I get up.

"Wait! If they can listen in on our comms…" the Canadian says through clenched teeth, "Then they must have used it to zero in on the crashed pilots!"

He waves his arms.

"Think about it," he continues, "All our pilots were transmitting where their planes had crashed. That's how they found Alice man!"

I stop and hold the phone tighter, taking a deep breath before I grab the engagement ring off the table. "I'll get ahold of my old man. We rendezvous, and figure out either how I'm going to get the money or how we're going to zero in on this motherfucker."

"Sounds like a good plan to me. Don't you agree Olson?" Kinh asks as he opens his iced tea. The older man simply nods.

"Simple enough," he remarks, "We'll be able to flesh it out once we get in touch with Captain Schumer. You'd get better topside now son."

I nod and rush out of the mess hall, diving through a bulkhead and clambering up the ladder onto the observation platform of the conning tower.

"Watch where you're goin'!" Kinh shouts as he tries to keep up with me all the while avoiding hitting his head on various objects and walls, "Getting a concussion won't help dude!"

"Sorry can't hear you shit to do!" I yell over my shoulder as I heave myself out of the hatch and stand up, extending the antenna on the sat-phone and dialing my dad's number. It rings twice before he picks up.

 _{Jeffrey Schumer, USS Tulsa.}_

"Dad, lots of news, but I'm gonna start with the important bits. Alice has been kidnapped, the kidnappers are asking five hundred thousand in less than forty-eight hours. Secondly, the kidnappers are listening in on our radio frequencies."

 _{And you know this… how?}_

I briefly explain what happened and listen to him typing on his computer briefly before he sighs.

 _{Alright. I just sent a message to the task force command, and our plan is in motion. Do you have a pen and paper handy?}_

"Yeah, one sec." I respond, pinning the phone between my head and my shoulder while I dig a notepad and pen out of my shirt pocket. "Alright, go."

 _{These are the coordinates for the rendezvous. Twenty-eight degrees, thirty-eight minutes, nineteen point six seconds North. One-three-seven degrees, forty-five minutes, fifty-three point six seconds East.}_

"Got it. Are you outbound or inbound from Nagasaki?"

 _{Outbound. Oh, off topic, but do you still have your Corsair certification?}_

"Yeah, but it's only a theoretical certification. I got the time in on the simulator, but I've only flown half the hours in the real deal."

 _{Would you be willing to fly off USS Leyte temporarily?}_

"Leyte is part of the task force?"

 _{It will be once we meet up, but yes. So, how 'bout it?}_

I pinch the bridge of my nose with my free hand and sigh. "What about Marco and Saige?"

 _{They'll stay aboard Monterey. You'll still be their flight lead.}_

" . . . I'm not sure how that's gonna work, but we've made weird arrangements work in the past, so okay."

 _{Is that everything?}_

"I guess so. We'll meet you at the rendezvous. Have a good night."

 _{You too. Stay safe.}_

I hang up and sigh, collapsing the antenna and looking out over the endless miles of ocean before I climb back down into the sub, finding Kinh waiting for me.

"New coordinates for the rendezvous." I say as I tear the page out of my notepad and hand it to him.

"So that's where we'll be heading next then!,' he declares before ordering his crew to change the Rainbow's course. I hear footsteps from the front of the sub followed by a gruff voice.

"I overheard something about ransoms."

I turn my head over to the source of the voice and I see a caveman towering over me. It's Remi who has curiosity written all over his face. He's cracking his knuckles.

"So we're getting ready to blow shitheads up?" he asks with a feral grin on his face.

"Yeah," Kinh answers curtly, " _After_ we rescue the hostages."

"We've gotta find 'em first." I interdict.

"Well of course," Remi replies dryly, "So where are they so we can go kick their asses?"

I shake my head and sigh, ducking through a small bulkhead to the bunk I last slept in, not bothering to respond to Remi. I can hear Kinh groan and explain the situation to his torpedo officer.

* * *

 _ **Huynh, Kinh-Luyen**_

 _ **October 9th, 1400 hours**_

 _ **HMCS Rainbow, Observation deck**_

 _ **Status: Heading to**_ _ **28°38'19.6"N 137°45'53.6"E**_

The sound of crashing waves was mixed with the sound of a submarine crashing against the wave at full speed. The Rainbow was making a dash at flank speed to their rendez-vous point with Force Gold.

"So your dad's commanding the USS Tulsa?" Kinh asked as he scanned the horizon with his binoculars, "Damn good shit there."

The other crew members on deck nodded in approval.

"Talk about being well connected bro," Al adds with a grin, "My parents are pretty damn average."

"Yeeeup." Jack yawned, looking at the sky. "I get alot of cross looks from people when I mention I've got connections. Sure, I've got 'em. Doesn't mean I use 'em, or _like_ to use 'em."

"Eh fair enough," Junior said, "At least you're not like this captain my best friend has."

Kinh's traits hardened before turning his head towards Junior.

"Mom and dad are important people?"

"Yup, got himself a nice spot on one of the cruisers that the cadet academy has. Apparently the whole crew is gambling on when he's getting kicked out of the captain's seat."

"Didn't you say that most of the crew was banking on him getting kicked out at the end of the month," Frank added as he munched on some beef jerky.

"Yup"

"'Hey look at me, mommy and daddy have money'!" Jack said in a nasal voice before laughing. "Sounds an awful lot like the Monterey's ex-captain."

The Rainbow boys laughed at this imitation.

"Did the captain of the Monterey really sound like that?" Kinh asked between snickers, "Wasn't she the idiot that ran for it at Iwo Jima?"

"Yeah. She said we had orders, but she was full of shit. I'm glad she's gone to be honest. Should've tied her to a five-hundred pounder and pushed it off the flight deck. Fuckin' coward."

Al snorted.

"Stupid bitch, but yo, where's she now?" he asked with contempts.

"She's back in the States already. They put her on a one-way flight to an academy expulsion and four months in juvenile corrections for reckless endangerment." Jack yawned again, stretching his arms above his head.

"Ohh harsh," Kinh whistled, "Though I have to admit… that's pretty good for me."

Suddenly, the intercom phone rang.

"Gimme a sec," the sub captain mutters as he picked up the phone, "Saïd? Right understood."

He nodded a few more times before hanging up and looking at his crew.

"Looks like they're rolling out the red carpet for us. There's a flight of Corsairs that'll be covering us. They'll be here in 20 minutes," Kinh stated with a grin, "Guess we're VIP's for once eh."

The submariners all grinned. A flight of fighters escorting them was always welcome.

"If we don't get buzzed I'm gon' be sorely disappointed." Jack chuckled. "It's been… two or three years since I last got buzzed by a Corsair."

"Corsairs… beautiful planes…," Kinh said wistfully, "Always wanted to fly one but my eyesight didn't let me join the Air Force Cadets."

His tone suddenly changed to a more serious one.

"That being said… getting buzzed isn't fun on a sub. It's SOP to crash dive when that happens."

"I see. I'll keep that in mind." Jack muttered before raising his binoculars, scanning the skies around them.

"Say, what planes can you fly?" Frank asked as he wiped off the lenses on his binoculars.

"I've got flight hours and genuine certifications for the regular Hellcat, the night fighter Hellcat, Wildcat, Cessna 172, and the SBD Dauntless. Then I've got theoretical certifications for the Corsair, Avenger, Tigercat, and F-8 Crusader." Jack listed off. "'Theoretical' meaning I've passed the simulator evaluation, I just don't have all the flight hours."

Frank let out a short whistle.

"Not bad at all man," he said with a voice full of awe.

"Which one's your favorite though?" Kinh asked.

Jack sighed and chuckled, puffing out his cheeks when he exhaled. "Ah shit, that's a good question. I'd say it's a tie between the Tigercat and the Crusader. There's just somethin' about having so much raw power at your fingertips. Say what you want, but ah've got the need."

"Crusader… I used to play this game where you could fly the Corsair II. The attack variant, you know?" Kinh replied with a grin, "Fun plane as hell."

"Yeah I know. The Crusader flight hours actually count towards a Corsair II certification, but I want to get my Crusader cert before I try for the more up-to-date stuff."

"You looking to try anything bigger?" Al asked, his eyes not leaving his binoculars.

"My general goal is to get certified for the Tomcat."

"Big dreams eh?" Junior said with a whistle.

"Contact! Fighters inbound!" Frank shouted as he raised his binoculars, "Those are definitely our escorts!"

Cheers could be heard from the Rainbow's deck crew as they saw the fighter wing fly in closer.

"Alright, come on, niiice and low, don't be pansies about it." Jack muttered humorously to himself, grinning as the gull-winged aircraft descended from their perch high above. "I wanna hear that whistle."

"I think I won't crash dive this time," Kinh muttered next to him, "Always wanted to hear the whistle on those things."

A mighty whistling sound filled their ears as the Corsairs ended their dive and flew low above the Rainbow, pulling up into a perch above the sub.

"Man that is awesome!" Frank shouted while high fiving Al. Kinh and Junior were waving at the passing fighters with massive grins on their faces.

"Woohoo!" Jack cheered, waving his hat above his head for a moment before plopping it down on his disheveled hair. "That sound never gets old!"

"I can understand why bro!" Kinh shouted, "Man I want to see them do their magic on the bad guys!"

The fighters soon began flying rings above the Rainbow who continued sailing towards Force Gold. For three hours, the Canadian submarine dashed across the vast but peaceful waves of the Pacific. Finally, Al shouted that he spotted a large force of ships in the distance.

"There's Force Gold." Jack yawned, "With them here, this rodent problem won't be so for much longer."

"Al, ready the signal light!" Kinh ordered. Al pulled up the signal light from a storage bin before setting it on the side of the conning tower. He started sending out a message identifying their sub as the Rainbow. A series of flashes suddenly came from one of the distant vessels a few moments later.

"They're giving permission us to close the distance," Al reported, "and ordering us to transfer personnel with the USS Tulsa!"

"I'll get my shit together." Jack sighed, hopping off the railing and starting down the ladder. He was soon followed by Kinh.

"Right, I'll throw on something presentable!"

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoy reading it! As always, leave us reviews. They help us improve our writing and keep us motivated** **\- Goodalwayswins98**

 **We're taking a limited amount of OC characters! Send me a message or leave a review stating that you have a character and I'll message you. As always, I hope you enjoyed! - SirStonewall**


	8. Chapter 8: Pan pan, pan pan, pan pan

**Jack Schumer**

 **October 9th, 1430**

 **Location: aboard USS Tulsa (LCS-16),**

 **28°38'19.6"N 137°45'53.6"E**

 **Status: Meeting with Captain Jeffrey Schumer.**

As I climb the ladder onto the helicopter deck, I ignore the weight of the two ditch bags on my shoulder, weighing me down, trying to pull me off. I pull myself up onto the deck and straighten up, taking a couple steps forward before saluting my dad and his first mate. Both return the salute, and I relax, lowering both the bags to the deck before my dad steps forward and offers a hug. I gladly take him up on the offer and step into his embrace, holding it only for a moment before we break. His hair looks silver in the sunlight, cut to instructor standards, and for once he's clean shaven. With broad shoulders and a well-toned jawline, it's easy to see who I got my features from.

"Heya Pops. Been awhile."

"Six months, thirteen days to be exact. It's good to see you. I hope you've been making friends."

"A couple, here and there." I respond with a nod as Kinh hauls himself up the ladder behind me.

The Canadian quickly snaps to attention as he sees my father.

"Captain Kinh-Luyên Huynh of the HMCS Rainbow sir!" he says, raising his right hand to salute.

"Welcome Captain. I'm Captain-Instructor Jeffrey Schumer of the USS Tulsa. Thank you for delivering my son to our task force." My dad replies, saluting him back.

"The pleasure is all mine," Kinh replies, "I've also had the pleasure of meeting your daughter as well. Avenged her first ship actually."

"So I saw in the report. Again, thank you very much." My dad offers a handshake to Kinh just as Olson heaves himself up onto the deck. The skipper shakes his hand before a booming voice interrupts them.

"Long time no see eh Jeff!" Olson exclaims as he shakes my dad's hand.

"Indeed. I think it was WESTPAC a couple years ago. Glad to see you're still alive and kicking!"

"Those were good times," the Canadian instructor chuckles.

"Sure were." My dad chortles before smiling smugly at me. "So, let's have a look at this footage of yours."

I nod and pick up my backpack, unzipping one of the pouches and producing a waterproof bag containing all my smaller electronic equipment. I break the seal on the bag and produce Alice's storage bank, sporting neat tally marks carefully painted in white fingernail polish on both sides.

My dad looks at the tally marks and chuckles in amusement before waving us along. "Let's head into the ops center."

"So Captain Schumer, any updates?" Kinh asks as they make their way through the busy hallways of the American ship.

"So far, we've been trying to keep an eye on the situation, but with communications being limited until all vessels receive the radio encryption codes, our radios have gone quiet." my old man sighs. "As for the ransom, I've sent everything up through the chain of command, and we've procured the money. Once the transfer happens, the money will be tracked."

Kinh nods in understanding.

"Right. Let's hope everything comes together quickly."

"There are aircraft flying encryption codes out to all the vessels involved as we speak." My dad responds simply as he ducks through a bulkhead. "Oh, by the way, Jack."

"Hmm?"

"Call your mother. She's been worried sick and is getting irritated you haven't called her."

"Fuuuuuuuuuck."

I hear snickering from Kinh before I look at my dad pleadingly.

"Do I have t-"

" _Now._ "

* * *

 **X-~Some Time Later~-X**

"Thanks for the ride!" I yell into the headset of the MH-60S just as the wheels touch the deck of USS Leyte, hanging the headset on a hook and sliding the door open before I drag my bags out and jump onto the deck. I shoulder both bags and scramble across the deck to the island, turning and watching the crew chief slide the door closed as the helicopter lifts and turns over the task force.

"Jack Schumer?" A voice calls from behind me. I turn around to find a Native American woman standing there in uniform, instinctively saluting.

"Yes ma'am."

"At ease. I'm Julie Blackwood. Captain. Welcome aboard the Leyte." She says with a smile, offering her hand. I clasp it in mine and shake it before adjusting my bags, looking at four F4U corsairs sitting on the fantail.

"Pleasure to meet you ma'am. When can I get in the air?"

"Eager are we?" She chortles. "As soon as you can get your papers signed and turned in. Let's go get that done."

"Aye ma'am. Just a heads-up, I'm four hours short on flight time of getting my official Corsair certification." I say as we duck through a bulkhead, entering the island.

"Well, we'll give you enough flight hours in the next day or two so you can get those hours. I hope you don't mind playing around with the flyers from HMS Vengeance."

"Vengeance? What happened to Ark Royal?"

"Engine troubles. Like, real troubles. She's being towed back to Australia for an engine overhaul."

I snort and shake my head with a sigh, "Sounds about right. They were always having troubles last year."

"Some people blame the captain. Others blame the engineers. Personally I think they need an instructor to figure out what's wrong."

"Respectfully, I'm just gonna keep my mouth shut."

She giggles as we both duck through a bulkhead, into what I can guess used to be the plotting room. Since maps are typically only done as backups, it's arranged as an office on one side. Julie leads me to a desk and roots around in a drawer, handing me a small packet of papers with a clipboard and a pen. "You know how to finish these forms. Once they're done, deliver them to the flight deck officer and you're good to go. He'll show you to your plane."

"Yes ma'am. Thank you."

"If you're hungry the galley is serving supper." She says before leaving.

At the mention of food, my stomach rumbles like thunder, and I start making my way towards the galley, following the signs on the walls until I run across a couple of sailors from further down in the ship.

"Howdy," one says with a salute my way, turning sideways to shuffle past me.

"Howdy do?" I greet him back, returning his salute. "Can y'all point me to the galley?"

"Sure thing. Down the stairs, take the corridor fore, then it should be the third bulkhead on your left." One says, taking a glance at the clipboard and papers in my hand, "I take it you're the new pilot?"

"That I am. Not 'new' by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm at least here until I can get back to the Monterey."

"Glad to have you. Take care."

"Thanks, you too."

* * *

 **India One-Two, Alice Houston.**

 **Location: Unknown.**

 **Status: undergoing location transfer.**

"Move it!"

The two words echo down what I can only presume is a long corridor as I'm roughly shoved forward, stumbling blindly thanks to the cloth covering my eyes. I pick up my feet despite my exhaustion and trudge forward, slowing slightly before I feel the cold muzzle of a gun pressed between my shoulder blades.

"I could move faster if I could see where I'm going." I croak, my voice raspy from hours upon hours of yelling at whoever pulled me out of my plane.

"Not happening. Keep moving." The voice orders, its owner giving me another rough shove which puts me on the floor. My chin impacts the uneven floor, and I see stars under my blindfold before my hair is grabbed and my captor starts to drag me. I have no choice but to grit my teeth and endure it as I struggle to get my feet under me, which are sweating like crazy in my flight boots. I hear the sound of a door being opened, and I'm thrown forward by my hair, hearing the door slam closed behind me. I slowly sit up, hearing music in the far corner.

"Elevator music?! Are you fucking kidding me?!" I yell, struggling against the ropes holding my hands together behind my back. As I expected there's no response, and I continue trying to work the ropes loose, eventually succeeding and yanking the blindfold off to find myself in a completely pitch black room, the dim glow of the radio's display in the corner being the only light that I can immediately see.

Until I see _them_.

Two small, red, glowing eyes, staring at me from the same corner.

* * *

 **Huynh, Kinh-Luyên**

 **October 10th, 1000**

 **Location: 27°40'58.3"N 139°26'34.7"E**

 **Status: Returning to patrol area**

The _HMCS Rainbow_ was departing from Force Gold, her crew having enjoyed a stay aboard the " _USS Tulsa"._ Standing atop her conning tower, Kinh and his deck crew waved at the task forces ships. The sound of diesel engines rumbling mixed the sounds of the ocean as the submarine moved away from Force Gold.

"Well that was a pleasant stay eh boys?" the captain asked, grinning wistfully.

A series of nod confirmed the general mood of the crew, having enjoyed being on less cramped ships.

"Enjoy the view gentlemen, I'm heading inside," Kinh said as he opened the hatches and climbed down into the command post. Oliver was overseeing the usual operations while crewmen were manning their posts while Olson was leaning on a nearby bulkhead.

"Everyone alright in here?" he asked with a grin.

"We're all good in here," Oliver answered seriously, "All systems optimal."

"Right, I'll head to the torpedo room and say hi to Remi," Kinh replied as he began making his way forward through the cramped submarine. Making his way forward, he entered the crew quarters. There were a few of his crew who were enjoying a quick nap or break. Some had pulled games and small tables to entertain themselves. A duo were engaged in a match of chess while a pair watched them go on playing. Kinh took a few moments to sit with them and discuss the match before making his way again towards the torpedo room where his old friend was working with his team.

"Yo Remi!"

"What?!" his friend yelled back. There was a light clinking sound that mixed with his voice.

"What's going on?" Kinh asked as he entered the compartment. He could see three boys around a table. A toolbox was open on it.

"Working on improving a torpedo engine," the Torpedo officer replied, sounding slightly like a mad scientist, "If I modified a few components, I think I can optimize the fuel usage and perhaps improve the acceleration and speed. With this, maybe it'd be possible to put a bigger warhead on it since I can maybe shrink the fuel canister. If I keep the actual canister however, I can also increase range. Ah decisions, decisions. More boom or more range? Such an interesting dilemma. Which upgrade would be a bigger 'fuck you asshole'?"

"Ehh, ok, more range if you ask me?" Kinh answered uncertainly, "Since more range is a good way of making sure they can't get close to you."

"Yeah but if the bang's not big enough, what's the point? Like if we only scratch the paint on the hull, it's gonna be a waste man. Unless if we improve the explosive charge by using a better compound instead of what we're using right now."

"Bro, you do realize that there's a few issues with your ideas?"

Remi shook his head.

"Like what?"

"Well, we're shooting at another students… not blowing up terrorists or shit like that. It might not be a good idea to instantly break a ship into three pieces. Also, I remember that you have those firing calculations that are preset," Kinh listed off a list of issues.

"It's for the future man, like after I get off this sub and get in a combat sub? Duh."

"B-but you'll be firing ADCAP's dude!"

"I'm also fucking bored and it's awesome. So shut up."

"Sure man," Kinh answered skeptically. Having the best torpedo officer in his year was a plus despite his best friend's quirks.

* * *

 **USS Black DD-666**

 **October 13th, 0105**

 **Location: 29°17'46.3"N 140°39'37.2"E**

 **Status: Radar picket duty**

" _In local news, the substation fire has finally been declared out by fire officials. Totaling at over 80,000 acres of primarily farmland, many farmers are wondering what to do next amidst the loss of two lives and most of this harvest's crops. A go-fund-me account has been set up to help support those affected by the fire by providing them with clothes, food, and other commodities. In international news today, the Blue Mermaids have begun the search for several missing ships with assistance from multiple student ships, including those from Seattle Naval Academy. Other details are not available at this time. That's all for the nine o'clock news, but be sure to tune in tomorrow for-"_

Reaching over, Danielle turned the radio off and finished looking through the daily report from all the departments. With a drawn-out yawn she put the papers in her desk, locked the drawer, and stood up, stretching her stiff limbs.

Officially the young captain was catching up on paperwork, though she doubted such a claim would hold up to the persistence of her first mate or Bosun.

Unofficially, the waiting for the Infected ships to pop up was making it difficult for her to sleep. Anxiety was running high, and though she tried her best to conceal it, she was almost certain her whole crew knew about it.

Sleep be damned, she still had a job to do.

Combing out her long hair, she brushed her bangs out of her eyes and put her captain's cap on, leaving her cabin. Each step rang out on the metal deck, clearly audible above the droning rumble that was ever present inside the ship.

Up two decks to the bridge, she found Allison and Savannah on watch, with Samuel and Emily at their stations.

"Captain on deck!"

Emily was the first to notice the tired captain, straightening up and standing at attention. Before anyone else could react, Danielle smiled and straightened up. "At ease."

Once the formalities were out of the way, Allison looked over at her and sighed, "you're supposed to be sleeping."

"I was. Then I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. So here I am."

"Fine. But the first yawn I hear, you're going back to your quarters."

Before the captain had a chance to respond, the bridge phone went off briefly, only for Allison to grab it off the hook.

"Bridge here."

The first mate listened for a moment, then hung up and reach over, turning on the short-wave radio to instantly be greeted by a robotic voice.

" _-eather service has released a severe storm warning for the East Pacific twenty to two hundred nautical miles off the East coast of Japan. Today, October 13th, building winds, 40 miles per hour from the south-southeast with wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour. Heavy rain and thunderstorms from the south with a chance of quarter sized hail. Seas fifteen to seventeen feet. Tonight, gale force winds from the south-southeast, waves sixteen to eighteen feet with continued thunderstorms. Tomorrow, continued gale force winds from the east-southeast, wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour. Waves nineteen to twenty-three feet. Tomorrow night-"_

"Fuuuuck." Samuel muttered, "this is gonna suck."

"As soon as it gets light, have everyone secure everything for the storm and batten down the hatches."

"Aye captain," Savannah replied as she tapped on her tablet's screen. "Harekaze, Anderson, Hamakaze, and Oakland are all on their way to rendezvous with us until the storm is over."

"Sounds like that could be awhile." Emily muttered, listening to the weather report finally coming to an end.

"Well, I hope nobody on board gets seasick."

"Somebody will, without a doubt." Danielle yawned before slapping Allison on the back and heading down the ladder. "First Mate, the bridge is yours."

"Aye captain."

Danielle wandered down back to her quarters, closed the door, and sat down at her desk again before turning her radio on and tuning it. "Captain Schumer to HMCS Rainbow."

After a few moments, an answer came back on the radio.

 _{HMCS Rainbow to USS Black, We copy you loud and clear! How are you guys coping with the storm?}_

"Good comms Rainbow. We're not quite in it, but we're getting everything tied down."

 _{Right! We were about to dive so got anything interesting for us?}_

"Negative Rainbow, I was just checking in on you gentlemen. Stay safe."

 _{Thanks. You guys stay safe too eh!}_

* * *

 **Huynh, Kinh-Luyên**

 **October 13th, 0115**

 **Location: 27°25'52.9"N 139°18'33.8"E**

 **Status: On Patrol**

"Sucks to be anyone topside eh?" Kinh commented as he glanced over his chuckling crew, "Thankfully we can just dive under this shit. Archer… take us to periscope depth!"

"Right! Periscope depth!"

The crew felt the familiar sensation of their sub diving as it leaned forward and slid under the waves

"We're at periscope depth Kinh."

"Right."

The captain made his way to the periscope and raised it.

"I'll keep an eye out for anything unusual guys."

Several minutes of staring at growing seas passed before Kinh prepared to lower the periscope, folding the handles up seconds prior to the intercom system clicking to life with a female voice.

 _{Pan pan, pan pan, pan pan. Hello all stations. Hello all stations. Hello all stations. This is Blue Mermaid station Yokosuka. A 406Mhz distress signal has been detected in the area of Iwo-To from the training submersible HMCS Grilse, reporting the submersible's buoyancy tanks have ruptured_ _. All vessels are advised to keep a sharp lookout for signs of distress, assist if possible, and notify the nearest Blue Mermaid station.}_

Once the transmission was over, the crew of the _Rainbow_ was silent for several seconds. Not a word was uttered by anybody until Olson sighed, bowing his head. "Well… that certainly complicates things."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Yeah, it took us this long to get an impending typhoon into the story. When basically this whole story has been placed right in the heart of typhoon season. Should've thought of that sooner. Oops.**

 **I was listening to Shinedown's rock rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Simple Man' when the idea for the typhoon came to me. I ran it through Good, and here it is. Please leave a review if you enjoyed it!**

 **Shit's 'bout to get nasty y'all. Batten down the hatches, grab the popcorn, and stay tuned for the next chapter! - SirStonewall**


End file.
